After a period exceeding one month on strike, approximately 10,000 support personnel at Ontario’s 24 public colleges have come to a preliminary agreement with their employer, as stated by the union representing them on Wednesday. The college support workers, such as librarian technicians, registrar employees, and technology support staff, had been on strike since September 11, citing concerns about job security and college funding.
They are set to resume work on Thursday, with plans to review the specifics of the new agreement and vote on its ratification, according to a news release from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). Christine Kelsey, head of the union’s bargaining team, did not disclose the terms of the deal but emphasized in the release that the strike was essential “to push back against a move to privatize public education, along with the threat of 10,000 job losses and over 650 program cuts across the system.”
Kelsey noted, “Following months of rigorous negotiations with a challenging employer, the progress achieved in this resolution would not have been possible without the unwavering solidarity of our members in recent weeks.” The College Employer Council (CEC) stated in a release that a private mediation session over the weekend had resolved a bargaining deadlock.
The tentative agreement must be approved by November 4, but picketing will cease in the interim, as mentioned by the employer. CEC CEO Graham Lloyd expressed gratitude for the return of the staff to work, highlighting their vital role in college operations and student success.
Negotiations between OPSEU and the CEC, representing publicly funded colleges in the province, commenced in June. Following the expiration of the previous contract in September, over 10,000 workers initiated a strike, prompted by job and program cuts that the union had forecasted in August would lead to 10,000 job losses.
The union’s stance was based on combatting the significant layoffs, advocating for job security, and ensuring adequate funding for public colleges. The CEC previously contended that the union’s requests, which included a ban on college closures, campus consolidations, and any staff layoffs or reductions during the contract term, were financially unfeasible in a period when college enrollments and revenues had declined by up to 50 percent.
In its Wednesday announcement, the union accused Premier Doug Ford’s government, though not directly involved in the negotiations, of inadequately funding Ontario’s public college system. Kelsey remarked in the release, “We have achieved more than a mere contract. Through our presence in the community day in and day out, the public now recognizes that our college system is being purposely defunded as a consequence of Ford’s destructive privatization agenda.”