As support staff at Ontario’s 24 colleges ended their fifth day on the picket line, the agency mandated to negotiate with colleges said the only way forward was for the union to drop its demands or proceed to arbitration. Read MoreThe College Employer Council says it has offered significant improvements in job security, wages and benefits
The College Employer Council says it has offered significant improvements in job security, wages and benefits
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As support staff at Ontario’s 24 colleges ended their fifth day on the picket line, the agency mandated to negotiate with colleges said the only way forward was for the union to drop its demands or proceed to arbitration.
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The 10,000 striking members of the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) are calling for better job security, wages and benefits. The workers include disability support workers, library technicians, financial-aid employees and IT services staff.
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But negotiations have been at a standstill since Sept. 10.
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The Evening Citizen
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The College Employer Council (CEC), Ontario’s bargaining agent, said Monday that Ontario’s colleges had already put forward more than $145 million in enhancements, including a two-per-cent wage increase and certain benefit improvements mirroring those given to full-time academic staff.
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CEC has also offered improvements of 50 per cent to recall rights, enhanced severance pay by 50 per cent and more disclosure regarding college decisions that may impact staffing. Protections for full-time support staff from job loss due to contracting outside services exist in the contract, the bargaining agent said.
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Colleges across the province have been forced to cut staff and programs since revenue from international students shrank and colleges grappled with a provincial tuition freeze.
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In February, Algonquin College president Claude Brulé recommended suspending 37 programs and said layoffs were inevitable.
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CEC said OPSEU’s demands would cost more than $400 million and would bring college operations to a standstill.
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CEC wants to achieve a deal that is fair to employees and sustainable for colleges, CEO Graham Lloyd said in a statement Monday.
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“A strike doesn’t make unreasonable demands reasonable or affordable,” he said.
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“We’ve offered significant improvements in job security, wages and benefits, and our door remains open once OPSEU drops the demands we have been telling them for weeks will never be acceptable,” Lloyd said.
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“If they are not prepared to drop them, we should seek the support of a neutral mediator and arbitrator.”
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OPSEU has argued that a provincial Skills Development Fund (SDF) is being used to undermine the public college system. The fund allocates $2.5 billion over three years towards training in the skilled trades and also provides money to upgrade training centres, OPSEU said.