Heather Wright/The Independent

Jonathan Lawerence is still holding out hope for a fair agreement for Ontario College support workers.

But Lawrence, vice president for support staff at Lambton College, says they are ready to go on strike as Local 124 members worry about job security.

The Ontario Public Service  Employees Union says if a deal is not reached with Ontario colleges by 12:01 Thursday morning, they’ll man the picketlines to back their job security demands.

Enrolment at Ontario colleges has plummeted in the last year after the federal government cut the number of International student visas available. Community colleges had come to rely on the revenue the students brought in. Many, including Lambton College, brought in millions using the money for capital projects.

Now, OPSEU is concerned the colleges are planning mergers and mass layoffs as the cash disappears. They asked for a moratorium on closures at the bargaining table, a move the lead bargainer for the colleges said was “ignoring reality.”

“The declining international enrollment, is certainly affecting the financial situation, but this has been a financial situation that’s been in existence for quite some time,” says Lawrence. “There’s been a freeze on Ontario tuition rates and when you compare the provincial rates to the rest of the country, we’re about half of the per student domestic rate, so we’re looking at a chronic underfunding situation, and that has now been revealed.

“This is a problem that existed long before, like international students became like the crutch that was kind of relied upon… we’re seeing this crutch removed, we’re seeing just how badly hobbled we’ve been for this long.”

The union, in a bulletin to its members said it was concerned “all signs point to an accelerated agenda to sell-off our public education system.

Lawrence says the more than 200 OPSEU Local 124 members – those who work in student support services at Lambton – are ready to walk the picketline Thursday if necessary. “We’re all hoping for a fair and equitable agreement to be reached here, but we have to prepare for any eventuality,” he said.