Talks to end the four-week labour disruption at the province’s colleges broke down today and, the colleges continue to insist striking faculty vote on a final contract offer.
The College Employer Council, which represents the province's 24 colleges, says it has asked Ontario's Labour Relations Board to schedule the vote.
It has also called on the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, representing the 12,000 college workers, to suspend the strike in the eight to 10 days it will take to organize the vote.
The council has walked away from the talks when only one outstanding issue, a request on academic freedom, remained unsettled, said OPSEU bargaining chair, JP Hornick.
Negotiations resumed last week after three weeks at the urging of Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews, who asked both sides to get a deal done.
The strike has cancelled classes at the province's colleges, impacting 500,000 full time and part time students.
