College faculty could walk off the job as of January 9

Following months of anticipation, discussion, and bargaining, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is one step closer to walking off the job.

On Oct. 1, the contract expired for 15,000 full-time and part-time college faculty across the province represented by OPSEU.

At the union’s request, the Ministry of Labour has issued a No-Board report that paved the way for labour disruption and picket lines as early as Jan. 4.

On Friday, the union officially issued notice that as of Jan. 9, the union will be taking labour action. 

OPSEU said the following in an online release:

The CEC continues to table language that works against faculty interests at a time where colleges are threatening frontline workers with austerity and the majority of courses being delivered by faculty who work on precarious contracts, with no job security and little to no benefits... We love our work. We want to be in our classrooms, labs, libraries, and offices, supporting students. But our work can’t come at the cost of floating the college system on our unpaid labour: about $24,500 per faculty member, annually,

Colleges are under financial pressure after the federal government slashed the number of international students admitted to Canada each year.

OPSEU argues that the demands placed on its members in recent years does not reflect the workload formula developed 40 years ago.

Graham Lloyd, the council's CEO, said Friday he's disappointed the union chose to give notice just days before mediation was set to resume.

"We urge OPSEU to enter mediation ... with more realistic demands so that we can get a deal and avoid an unnecessary strike," he said in a statement. "We are disappointed that OPSEU has chosen to escalate by providing notice of strike action just days before mediation is set to resume..."

There is still some time for the two to meet and see eye to eye - the parties will be meeting again in non-binding mediation on January 6 and 7.

The union said two weeks ago that no real progress had been achieved in contract negotiations, and that mediation in early December raised concerns about the possible deterioration of work conditions, job security and quality of education.

- with files from CTV News London's Daryl Newcombe, the Canadian Press