Ontario colleges strike averted by binding arbitration agreement

A threatened strike at Ontario’s colleges has been averted by an agreement to enter into binding arbitration.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s college faculty bargaining team and the College Employer Council issued a statement Thursday that says they’ve agreed to enter binding interest arbitration which allows a third party to find a compromise for outstanding issues.

The statement says the agreement also ends all work-to-rule strike activities.

Negotiators from both sides met virtually on Thursday.

The union representing professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors warned they would strike on Friday if they could not agree on arbitration.

The union recommended its members reject the colleges’ final offer in January because of workload, contracting out of faculty work and benefits for part-time faculty.