Part-time support workers at Ontario’s 24 colleges are gearing up for a strike vote next week, potentially joining thousands of full-time employees who are in their fourth week of strike action.
Approximately 10,000 part-time workers, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), have been working without a valid collective agreement for nearly two years according to the union’s website.
The bargaining team informed the College Employer Council (CEC) on September 1 about their plan to seek a strike vote to urge the colleges to engage in fair negotiations.
The strike vote for part-time support workers is scheduled to take place between October 14 and 17. Dave Strutton, a part-time steward at Conestoga College, emphasized the importance of demands such as sick days and standardized job descriptions for part-time staff during negotiations with CEC.
Strutton highlighted concerns about part-time staff being asked to fill in for full-time workers during the strike, which breaches the collective agreement terms regarding changes in hours and shifts.
Simon Black, an associate professor of labor studies at Brock University, commented that the potential involvement of part-time support staff in the strike represents a significant escalation of the labor dispute, putting pressure on both the colleges and the provincial government to address union demands.
Despite multiple attempts to reach out for comment, there was no response from CEC at the time of publication. The move to include part-time workers in the strike action is expected to intensify pressure on CEC and the government to address the union’s concerns.
