Student leaders ask province to intervene in college faculty strike

A group of student leaders is calling on the government to urge college administrators and the union representing striking faculty to return to the bargaining table in a bid to end a labour dispute that has seen classes cancelled at Ontario’s 24 colleges.

In a letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne and a number of members of Ontario’s legislature, the presidents of student associations at eight colleges ask the government to get both the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union and the College Employer Council to resume talks.

The labour dispute involving more than 12,000 professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians began late Sunday, after the two sides couldn’t resolve their differences by a deadline of 12:01 a.m. Monday.

The student leaders say they are concerned that the quality of education will be diminished the longer the strike goes on because material will have to be condensed to make up the semester.

The student leaders have requested a meeting with Wynne, Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews and the union and college representatives on Oct. 26.

About 500,000 full-time and part-time students have been impacted by the strike.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today