A strike by Ontario college faculty has been narrowly averted after the union representing them reached a Memorandum of Agreement with the College Employer Council. While significant benefit gains were made, particularly for precarious workers, outstanding issues will go to mediation-arbitration.
The threat of a strike at Ontario's community colleges has been 'narrowly averted' according to OPSEU , which represents faculty. Instead, the union will focus on 'root causes' of the problems in the system.
'After more than six months of negotiations, the bargaining team representing over 15,000 college faculty across Ontario signed a Memorandum of Agreement with significant benefit gains – particularly for their most precarious members, making up 75 per cent of the workforce,' says a news release. 'While the two sides otherwise remain at an impasse, the parties have agreed to send all outstanding items to mediation-arbitration. As a result, Ontario’s 24 public colleges will narrowly avoid a strike this term.' The union was in a legal strike position this past Saturday and had threatened 'job action' including a strike starting tomorrow. See: College faculty give five-day notice of start of labour action “Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions, and with a historic strike mandate and province-wide organizing, faculty sent the clear message that we’re ready to stand up to protect both,” said Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, Chair of the faculty bargaining team. OPSEU, the union representing college faculty, and the College Employer Council (CEC), the bargaining agent for Ontario’s 24 public colleges, met in downtown Toronto on January 6 and 7 in mediation. A new contract for college faculty will be ruled on at a further date by Arbitrator William Kaplan. “We are pleased to have averted an unnecessary strike at Ontario’s 24 public Colleges,” said Graham Lloyd, CEO, of CEC. “Our goal throughout negotiations has been to recognize the hard work of academic employees and to keep students in class. To this end, CEC offered several breakthrough proposals such as enhanced benefits for all academic employees and improved access to benefits for partial-load employees. Throughout the bargaining process, CEC has put students firs
ONTARIO COLLEGE STRIKE OPSEU MEDIATION
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