Dec 12, 2008
Dec 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Tanya Talaga (The Star)
Queen's Park Bureau
Province has no plans to order the university's teaching assistants, contract faculty back to work
The Ontario government does not plan to bring in back-to-work legislation to end the five-week-long York University strike.
The Legislature rose for its holiday break yesterday and will not be back before mid-February.
Labour Minister Peter Fonseca told reporters yesterday it is time for the parties involved to double their efforts to negotiate an end to the strike, which began on Nov. 6.
"We want to see the students in the classroom. We continue to ask (the parties) to come back to the table, resolve differences and get a collective agreement in place."
New Democratic Party MPP Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina) is holding out hope the issue will be solved by the government in the next day or two. "I don't think we should, under these economic circumstances, expect people to be working for nothing."
For the last month, Progressive Conservative MPP Peter Shurman (Thornhill) has questioned Training, Colleges and Universities Minister John Milloy about the York dispute. Shurman has given two members' statements on the issue, presented three petitions and tabled a private member's bill to order strikers back to work.
"If the strike is not resolved within the next few days, 2008 is lost and, once the House shuts down ... there is no legislative recourse for 50,000 students," Shurman said earlier this week in the Legislature. Milloy responded that the Liberals believe in the collective bargaining process and are encouraging both sides to follow through.
Striking Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 members ? 3,340 teaching assistants and contract faculty ? are seeking better wages, job security and benefits.
About 40 York nursing students will be returning to class Monday. "These students are in a unique position," explained spokesperson Alex Bilyk. "They must be prepared to write the Canadian registered nurses exam on Feb. 4."
He said this group of students is independently funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, with the understanding that they would complete their degree-licensing requirements by the beginning of 2009.
Meanwhile, 63 per cent of teaching assistants, student instructors, and lab demonstrators at the University of Toronto voted yesterday to strike, the union announced.
"Considering the economic crisis we're in and considering the very difficult situation at York University ... we think it was quite a courageous stance for our members to take," said Rebecca Sanders, spokesperson for CUPE 3902. "However, we are not on strike and we hope that's not necessary."
The union is seeking smaller class sizes, health coverage for international students and a wage increase.