The union representing support staff at Ontario’s struggling public colleges says it has been given a strike mandate by its members as it continues to negotiate for a new deal.

A statement from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said 77 per cent of those who voted in a recent ballot backed the potential for a strike in mid-August.

“At this juncture, we have the opportunity to be on the frontlines of not just the fight for a fair contract, but also the public fight for a different college system,” OPSEU said in a statement.

The strike mandate does not mean support staff at Ontario’s colleges will strike, and it is not an unusual step on the road to an agreement. It does, however, give the union the ability to bargain with the threat of industrial action.

The next round of talks is scheduled for Aug. 20, the union said.

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Graham Lloyd, the CEO of the College Employer Council, said the idea of any strike was disruptive and urged the union to agree to a deal for its members.

“A strike of any kind is unnecessary and will not benefit students, employees or the college system,” he said in a statement.

“The union is threatening Ontario colleges with a strike while pushing for demands that will result in massive operating increases for colleges with fewer days of work. All of this is happening in the context of the worst financial crisis that colleges have faced in decades.”

Ontario’s public colleges have endured a difficult 18 months since the federal government capped the number of international students and provincial politicians maintained a cap on tuition fees.

A recent arbitration decision reveals that since then, at least 8,000 layoffs have taken place, with some 600 college programs cancelled across the province. Several major college campuses have closed entirely.

OPSEU said it hoped the current financial trouble could allow the college system to refocus.

“It’s getting back to the basics: a return to the original vision of our college system, before it was run aground by government neglect, college mismanagement, and private interests,” they said.

A spokesperson for the Ford government said it was following the talks.

“The Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security is not a party in labour negotiations,” they said in a statement. “We are monitoring the situation closely and remain hopeful that all parties reach a fair deal that puts students first.”

Lloyd said he hoped a deal would still be reached.

“We will return to the bargaining table with the intention of reaching a fair negotiated collective agreement,” he said.

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