As Ontario college faculty prepares to reveal the results of their strike mandate Thursday afternoon, Lambton College students are expressing concerns about the potential impact if a fair agreement isn’t reached.
Third-year Business Administration-Accounting student Jack Pugh is particularly concerned. “This is probably the most important year for us,” he said, emphasizing the technical skills crucial to his program. Reflecting on a previous strike, Pugh noted, “Students were not satisfied with what they got out of that. It's definitely a financial worry, especially in the times that we live in today.”
Construction Carpentry Techniques student Parminder Singh echoed these sentiments, expressing frustration at the prospect of studying without teachers present. “If our instructors aren’t here, it’s going to be annoying,” he remarked, emphasizing the impact on many international students who depend heavily on their education.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union OPSEU/SEFPO College Faculty Bargaining Team and the College Employer Council (CEC) have been negotiating since July 15, with talks set to continue this week. In a September 11 update, the union criticized the CEC’s approach, citing concerns about downplaying the Workload Task Force Report findings and inflating costs for non-monetary proposals.
While the union remains committed to reaching an on-time agreement, they believe that a strong strike mandate may be needed to compel the CEC to engage more seriously with their demands.
They emphasized their commitment to transparency, stating, "By tabling all faculty proposals in full, we have chosen the path of transparency, aiming to reduce the noise and confusion the CEC and Colleges may attempt to sow through their communications. These attempts at division are an attack on our collective power – and the employer is the only one that wins when workers are divided."
OPSEU/SEFPO represents over 15,000 college faculty members, including full-time and part-time professors, instructors, counselors, and librarians. They are pushing for improvements such as updated contracts, job security, manageable workloads, addressing funding issues, and correcting inequalities in faculty distribution.
As for Pugh and Singh, both students hope for a resolution, fully aware that their futures hang in the balance.
“None of us want a strike. We believe professors work hard and deserve better treatment from the college,” Pugh said.
“Let’s see what happens; fingers crossed,” Singh concluded.