A five-week strike at Ontario's 24 community colleges is now over, after back-to-work legislation was passed Sunday during a special weekend sitting of the Ontario Legislature.
The colleges have said it would take two days to recommence teaching, meaning classes are expected to resume on Tuesday.
Faculty are expected back on the job Monday.
The back-to-work bill was passed over objections from the province's New Democrats, who described it as "anti-worker" and warned that sending the dispute to binding arbitration is no solution for deeply entrenched issues including the use of large numbers of part-time faculty.
The strike by about 12,000 professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians started on Oct. 15.
"The strike has been incredibly disruptive to students and we needed to end it," said Sonia Del Missier, chair of the provincial colleges' bargaining team.
"The colleges will be working with all faculty to return quickly to the education and training of 500,000 students," Del Missier said in a written statement. "We appreciate the efforts of all elected members who supported this legislation, and especially the leadership shown by Premier Wynne and [Advanced Education and Skills Development Minister Deb] Matthews."
"Unfortunately, less than half the Liberal caucus even bothered to show up at Queen's Park for the debate this weekend," said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
"But on the other side of the aisle, the NDP was there in full force," Thomas said.
"The college faculty strike, which the Liberal government has just ended with legislation, put the problems of low-wage contract workers front and centre on the public agenda. It was a battle for precarious workers today and for every future worker, in college or out, who dreams of having a good job and the good life it affords."
"The Liberals let the strike drag on until they could justify their legislation in the court of public opinion," Thomas said. "In doing so, they played right into the hand of the College Employer Council, which had been aiming for legislation, not negotiation, all along."
"If Premier Kathleen Wynne had been proactive on this file she would have ordered the colleges to move weeks ago to end the cheap labour strategy that is short-changing faculty and students alike."
