Students Exploring Class Action Lawsuit Against Striking Colleges

Published November 16, 2017 at 4:35 am

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Post-secondary students at colleges across Ontario have been out of class as a result of the faculty strike for a month now, and now, some students are demanding compensation. 

As of October 16, 2017, some 12,000 faculty have been on strike. Colleges suspended classes for about 500,000 students across the province with no end in sight. And students have not been pleased, missing valuable class time as the College Employer Council and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)—the union representing striking workers—have been in talks. 

A proposed class action lawsuit has officially begun as of November 14, 2017, and students are demanding a refund, backed by Charney Lawyers.

According to The Canadian Press, 14 students have come forward so far as plaintiffs.

“As matters stand, students may lose an entire semester without being refunded their tuition and fees, or students may be required to repeat courses or take extended programs into the new year,” reads information posted online.

When in college, students pay a whack of tuition fees to receive an education, and they are clearly not getting what they paid for. 

Some might say the colleges had this coming. 

The lawsuit aims to “recover damages” on behalf of the students at the 24 colleges across the province that have been on strike for several weeks now. 

As for what the refund covers? Tuition, meal plan programs, campus residence, and any other school-related expenses incurred since all training, classes, testing, and exams have been cancelled province-wide.

Here’s what’s happening on the faculty side:

The College Employer Council recently called on OPSEU to suspend the strike and re-start classes. The Labour Board announced that it’s set to hold a faculty vote on the employer offer—a vote OPSEU isn’t on board with.

This vote is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, November 14 to Thursday, November 16.

It remains to be seen when students will return to class.

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