Talks between Ontario’s full-time college support staff and the College Employer Council (CEC) have collapsed, pushing the strike into its third week.
The 10,000 workers, represented by OPSEU/SEFPO, remain on picket lines across the province after negotiations broke down Monday.
The union says the employer refused to make progress on job security protections.
Picket Captain at the Perth Campus of Algonquin College Marie Castellana says the planned closure of the campus doesn’t change the fact that colleges matter to the communities they serve.
At Algonquin College’s Perth Campus, which is slated for closure, picketers have been visible since the strike began September 11.
The bargaining team argues that the employer’s proposals fail to save jobs, focusing instead on extended notice or layoff processes.
Jerry Lynch, a support staff worker at Community Employment Services run by Algonquin College says the planned closure of the Perth Campus will affect the entire community, not just the people who work there.
Union negotiators say they even removed demands such as a temporary moratorium on layoffs, campus closures, and mergers. Still, they claim employers resisted language that would guarantee job security.
With classes disrupted across Ontario colleges, workers say the strike is about protecting their work after thousands of layoffs in recent years.
