After nearly five weeks on the picket lines, full-time college support staff across Ontario have reached a tentative agreement with their employer, marking a major turning point in a strike that mobilized more than 10,000 workers at all 24 public colleges.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) announced the breakthrough Wednesday morning, with picket lines coming down and staff scheduled to return to work Thursday, October 16.
“We had no choice but to fight back amidst a plan to privatize public education,” said Christine Kelsey, chair of the union’s bargaining team. “The gains made in this agreement would not have been possible without members holding strong these last weeks.”
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The strike, which began in response to sweeping program cuts and job losses, became a flashpoint for broader concerns about the future of Ontario’s college system. OPSEU/SEFPO leaders say the tentative deal is a victory not just for workers, but for public education itself.
The union has been vocal about its opposition to corporate audits commissioned by the Ford government, which proposed further cutbacks, automation, outsourcing, and mergers across the college system.
OPSEU/SEFPO also criticized the government’s use of the Skills Development Fund (SDF), alleging that nearly half a billion dollars went to lower-ranked applicants—money the union says could have kept campuses open and programs staffed during a period of international student decline.
Details of the tentative agreement will be presented to union members this afternoon. If ratified, the deal will bring closure to one of the largest college support staff strikes in Ontario history.
