NDP says Ford must act now to avoid disruption at colleges

LONDON AND KITCHENER — NDP Labour critic Peggy Sattler and NDP Post-secondary Education critic Laura Mae Lindo released the following statement regarding contract negotiations for faculty at Ontario’s public colleges:

“There is action Doug Ford can take right now to protect the school year for college students, and we’re asking him to do that.

For two difficult years students at Ontario colleges have seen their studies disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now those students face the possibility of further interruption to their school year due to the ongoing unresolved negotiations between faculty and the colleges.

There is still time for the parties to reach agreement on a new contract and we hope that can be achieved in the next couple of days. If that doesn’t happen, the union has said they are prepared to enter into voluntary binding interest arbitration to settle the outstanding issues so that further strike action can be avoided.

We call on Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Labour Monte MacNaughton and Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop to make their wishes clear right now to the College Employer Council: the council must agree to enter voluntary binding interest arbitration, conducted by a neutral party, so that Ontario college students can complete the school year without disruption.”