Ontario's advanced education minister says the two sides in a colleges strike that's now in its third week have agreed to go back to the bargaining table.
More than 12,000 college professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians went on strike Oct. 15, putting hundreds of thousands of students out of class.
There have been no talks since then, but Deb Matthews says she just received word that negotiations will resume Thursday.
The colleges' bargaining team said in a news release moments earlier that they were calling on the mediator to bring both sides back to the table.
They say they believe a settlement can be reached quickly and classes could resume early next week.
The Ontario Public Sector Employees Union, which represents the striking workers, didn't have an immediate response, but had scheduled a rally for Thursday to call on the colleges to return to the bargaining table.
