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“A ministry-appointed mediator has been assigned to the negotiations” between the College Employer Council and the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union “and is ready to work with the parties,” said Dayna Smockum, director of communications for Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn. 

“The best deals are made at the table, and should the parties return to the table, the mediator is available to support a fair resolution,” she said, adding ”... We remain hopeful that all parties reach a fair deal that puts students first.”

OPSEU had earlier released a statement asking for a government-appointed mediator “to help us reach a settlement,” in a first sign of a thaw by either side following the strike that was called in the early hours of Sept. 11 after months of talks broke off. 

Contacted by the Star on Tuesday afternoon, the College Employer Council — which represents the province’s 24 publicly assisted schools at the bargaining table — said it had not been notified of the offer.

“It is absolutely something we would consider, but we would need to hear from them directly as to what they are proposing,” CEO Graham Lloyd told the Star.

The union is seeking improved job security as schools struggle with ongoing financial challenges because of federal cutbacks to international students on top of a provincial freeze on tuition and complaints that government funding isn’t keeping up with their actual costs. 

Colleges across the province have already seen an estimated 10,000 job losses overall, as well as program cuts and campus shut downs. 

The college council had previously urged that the two sides enter into mediation followed by arbitration to settle any outstanding differences, as happened during recent successful contract talks for college faculty.

But OPSEU has said it has “zero appetite” for an arbitrated settlement.

However, Lloyd has also said schools will not consider four union demands — bans on job losses, campus or college mergers, contracting out or allowing managers to pitch in when needed on minor tasks — saying they could “cripple” the system.

But the union is worried colleges will close additional campuses and lay off even more staff than the thousands previously let go.

“The employer has the obligation to disclose restructuring plans which would hugely affect our members over the length of the collective agreement we are actively negotiating,” said Christine Kelsey, chair of OPSEU’s full-time support staff negotiation team, in a statement. “We believe members, and the public, deserve to know.”

Lloyd has said the colleges have already offered a total of $145 million in salary and benefit increases, as well as some job security provisions.

“There are demands that, regardless of the situation, we just can’t go forward ... We’ve told them that we will never agree to those,” Lloyd has said. “If they insist, then there’s no path forward to a negotiated deal. So, if that’s the situation, let’s at least go to mediation and arbitration to ensure that there’s certainty for students and employees.”