College strike cancels Algonquin convocation
Posted Oct 18, 2017 06:15:57 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA — As Ontario’s college strike heads into its third day, with no new talks scheduled, Algonquin College has decided to pull the plug on next week’s fall convocation ceremony.
In announcing the decision, the school said the current work stoppage was the reason for cancelling the ceremonies.
“Those students will be welcome to come into our spring convocation,” said Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen. “It’s probably going to be, I’m guessing, anywhere between 400-500 students that would graduate — that would cross the stage.”
Students who were scheduled to graduate this fall will get their credentials mailed to them later this month.
No new talks have been scheduled between the negotiator for the province’s 24 colleges and the union representing more than 12,000 striking faculty.
“I think we’re far apart,” admitted Jensen. “These are issues that are very difficult to negotiate, but they need to be negotiated.”
“We’re not going to get anywhere if we’re not talking,” Jensen told 1310 NEWS.
The union for the faculty — OPSEU — has said it is up to the College Employer Council, which bargains for the colleges, to restart talks.
About 500,000 full- and part-time college students are affected by the strike, which began at midnight on Monday.
