Edited by Carol Eugene Park
The power of the workers union has grown and changed since its mass inception in the 19th century. It has spurred on revolutions, brought governments to its knees, and fundamentally shaped society in many ways. Canada specifically has a long history of unions and strikes in order to fulfill the rights of workers. Not to say that the unions have always been right, but generally the purpose of strikes has been for the benefit of the workers. The latest strike that is affecting massive amounts of people across Ontario is the teachers strike affecting Ontario’s colleges such as George Brown and other colleges. The strike consists of approximately 12 000 teachers, part and full time, leaving their jobs across 24 public colleges.
The main reason for the strike was to increase the contract times for teachers at the colleges they teach, as many of them are hired on a contract rather than as permanent staff. They are also asking for equal pay to their full-time counterparts as well as similar benefits such as insurance and such. Much of the problem has come to light because of the precarious nature of contract teaching. This means teachers are constantly in a state where their job security is being threatened. It is also demoralizing to work alongside coworkers who you are expected to act the same as but who are not under the same pressures as you. This strike has been going on since the 16th of October and it seems to show no signs of stopping. This is because negotiations are not going well with no consensus in sight.
From the student’s side of things, there are calls for the strike to continue as well as for the strike to end. The side that sides with the teachers do it so that the teachers can be in a place where they can teach them properly as well as for generally workers’ rights. However, there are many who reject the strike since it ruins their plans for the New Year, as when the strike is eventually called off it is going to make the school year run longer as well as other issues with the strike.
The strike affects over 500 000 students and could severely impact the economy of incoming workforce in years to come, so it is important to see this strike as a piece of history. However, with negotiations at a standstill, we can only hope there is a solution that is beneficial to both parties.