A tentative two-year agreement has been reached with the 10,000 faculty at Ontario’s 24 colleges after nearly three months of bargaining.
Conestoga College president John Tibbits says “The fact that there’s a settlement is a tremendous relief for everybody and I’m sure it is for most of our faculty too.”
The deal includes a wage freeze at the top of the payscale, but leaves the benefits of instructors intact as well as allowing them to move through up the pay grid.
It also extends job security to part-time faculty for the first time, which should mean more consistency to students and teachers.
The offer was accepted after the colleges agreed to remove all of their proposals and concessions from the table.
“I don’t expect anybody to be jumping up and down with a zero-zero…but when you look at the provincial deficit we do appreciate that the faculty settled at this time,” ***Tibbits adds.
Faculty members were expected to vote in favour of a strike in September if a deal could not be reached, but that has been averted.
Lana-Lee Hardacre, president of OPSEU Local 237, says “Everybody is happy that they will be in the classroom after Labour Day.”
Students like Jaydeep Patel are also thankful they won’t have to deal with a fall strike.
“There’s a new relief among students as well as faculty because there’s a mutual agreement and that has such an awesome result that there’s not going to be any problems.”
The deal still has to be ratified, but both sides they don’t expect any complications. A vote will be held within three weeks.
