Heather Wright/The Independent

Lambton College support staff are walking the picket lines on London Line, Wellington Street and at the Fire School on Lasalle Line today.

More than 10,000 full-time college support staff are on strike as of 12:01 am.

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 enrolment, is certainly affecting the financial situation, but this has been a financial situation that’s been in existence for quite some time,” says Jonathan Lawrence, vice president of Local 124 at Lambton . “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 under funding 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.”

In a Facebook post this morning, the union said: “This is not just a fight for a contract – it’s about the future of student support. We’re fighting because we know our students need us.”

Classes are continuing at the college although officials say support services won’t be available for students and buses will not be crossing the picket lines.

Negotiations between OPSEU and the College Employer Council broke down yesterday at 4pm.