Students across the province are bracing for what could be an interruption to their school year.
At 12:01 a.m. on Monday, twelve thousand unionized employees at Ontario’s 24 public colleges will be poised to hit the picket lines.
“You are already stressed enough because mid-terms are coming and you don’t know, and you are not informed about what’s happening, so its adds on a little stress,” says Georgian College student Madison McNaught.
Bargaining teams from OPSEU and the colleges say they have been at the negotiating table through the weekend, trying to reach a deal to prevent professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians from walking off the job.
The union says little progress has been made, and members are prepared to walk out at midnight.
“We are all ready to go, we've got our signs ready, maps ready, trucks and porta-potties have been ordered, our pocket captains have been set up,” says Dr. Anita Arvast, from OPSEU local 350.
The union wants more full time positions for instructors, and an annual wage hike of two percent for three years.
The College Employer Council said Friday that the union demands for staffing ratios and wage increases would add more than $1 billion in costs over three years.
If no deal is reached, classes will be cancelled tomorrow morning.
The campus at Georgian College will remain open to students, including the gym and the library.
“Many of the services will still be available, so if students still want to come to campus they are certainly welcome to, and staff and administrators will be here to help them,” says Lori Bell from the college.
Officials at Georgian College say they will be updating their website with the latest information through the night, so students can find out what’s going on as soon as they wake up tomorrow morning.
