Pickets are slated to go up at Camosun College Tuesday and Wednesday as nearly 600 support staff walk off the job to push for higher wages.
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2081 plans to join a mass strike at four other post-secondary schools, including Vancouver Island University and North Island College.
CUPE said pickets will be up at both Camosuns Lansdowne and Interurban campuses from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days. The campuses will remain open, but many student services will be unavailable or disrupted, including admissions, registration, financial aid, child care and the bookstore.
The two libraries will be open for study, but will offer none of the regular services.
CUPE represents clerks, library staff, bookstore employees, groundskeepers, custodians, technicians, receivers and a host of other workers.
Camosun spokeswoman Joan Yates said its unclear how many classes will be cancelled. Its up to individual faculty members whether they choose to honour picket lines, she said.
Our assumption is that classes will be operating, but we are strongly encouraging students to contact faculty directly to find out what their intentions are, she said.
The college will post information on its website at camosun.ca, and individual faculties are also publishing notices on their own sites, Yates said.
CUPE said many faculty are supporting the strike. But we do always have some that cross [picket lines], said Local 2081 spokeswoman Louise Oetting.
The unions have been without a contract since June 2010 and are seeking wage increases similar to those of their counterparts at the University of Victoria and other universities. Most have settled for four-year deals with no increase in the first two years and two per cent pay hikes in the third and fourth years.
Ian McLean, CUPE B.C. colleges co-ordinator, said about 2,000 support staff could be off the job across the province today.
He blamed the provincial government for the standoff, saying its Public Sector Employers Council tied colleges hands and prevented a settlement.
Its unfortunate, because the last thing we want to do is see disruption for students, he said.
The employers council issued a statement Monday saying the government has told institutions to pay for wage increases by finding savings that do not affect student services.
We know this is hard, but believe it is achievable, and we need to continue to work together, the statement said.
Advanced Education Minister John Yap said unions will have to stretch and co-operate if deals are going to be reached.
I hope that unions continue to keep students in mind as they initiate job action that may affect the learning environment, he said. I want to recognize the hard work of both sides and encourage these discussions to continue to happen at the bargaining table where they belong not in the media.
The other colleges expected to be hit by strikes today are the College of New Caledonia and the College of the Rockies.
