OPSEU, college management, to resume contract talks this weekend

College management and the union representing striking support staff will resume contract talks this weekend.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) workers have been off the job for 16 days.

“Our goal has always been to reach a negotiated settlement. We hope that OPSEU is prepared to do the same,” Gerry Barker, chair of the Colleges bargaining team, said in a statement.

The College Student Alliance was pleased by the news but urged both parties to reach a deal quickly, as students already feel they are in danger of not graduating.

“Some students cannot afford another week without gaining access to specific support services – their semesters are now in jeopardy.” Brian Costantini, president of the College Student Alliance, said in a statement.

The statement went on to say that “students in programs such as police foundations, fire fighting, and aviation require specific services outside the classroom – which are provided by the support staff – in order to fulfill the requirements of the program.  By not receiving these services they face the reality that they may not graduate.”

Support staff walked off the job when the two sides failed to reach an agreement on Aug. 31.

Picket lines are up at the province’s 24 community colleges. About 8,000 members of OPSEU — including administrators, IT staff, librarians and cleaners — have walked off the job.

The union claims it is trying to stop part-time positions from overtaking full-time hires and the colleges say wages have been the main stumbling block in talks. The College Employer Council says it has offered a 4.8-per-cent wage increase over three years.

College support staff hasn’t taken job action since 1979.

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