TORONTO – As the Ontario college faculty strike approaches the one-month mark, students enrolled in Labour Studies programs continue to experience what many colleges are calling a “bonus co-op placement”.
“We’re pleased to provide this exciting opportunity,” said Don Sinclair, chief executive officer of the College Employer Council. “Some people claim it was our gross mismanagement and greed that led to the strike, but we prefer to think of it as our commitment to hands-on-learning”.
The strike has taken 500,000 students out of programs ranging from Funeral Directing to Jewelry Essentials, costing millions per day in lost tuition fees — but has also given the small percentage of students studying this area great insight into how these disputes get so royally fucked up.
“Before the strike started, we were about to begin our unit on ‘Grievances Arbitration’,” said Emily Sun, a student in Centennial College’s Labour Relations program. “Now we get first-hand experience instead of a lecture from some part-time instructor who’s more concerned about paying their rent than delivering the course material.”
The strike could end as early as Thursday, when results from the forced vote are announced. However, many students are reportedly hoping for an extended strike, including those working multiple jobs, as well as those enrolled in Advanced Sign-Making and Megaphone Techniques courses.
A representative for the colleges confirmed that in addition to the “bonus” strike, they intend to create learning opportunities for those studying Financial Planning this year by saddling them with extra-crippling student debt.
