OTTAWA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Canadian college students are expected to return to class soon after the Ontario government passed a back-to-work bill Sunday to end a five-week strike by Ontario college faculties, local media reported.
Since Oct. 16, Ontario's 12,000 college professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians have been on a five-week strike over reducing the number of partial-load instructors and academic freedom, leaving 500,000 full-time and part-time students out of class, according to local television network CTV Sunday.
On Sunday, the 24 colleges involved in the strike welcomed the back-to-work legislation, saying all efforts at the bargaining table had been exhausted.
The legislation sends all outstanding issues to binding mediation-arbitration. The colleges said the offer includes a 7.75-percent salary increase over four years, improved benefits -- including extended pregnancy and parental leave, and a 500-Canadian-dollar (about 391 U.S. dollars) increase in coverage for paramedical services -- and measures to address concerns regarding part-time faculty.
The government introduced the six-page page bill Friday after the college faculty overwhelmingly rejected the College Employer Council's last offer.
The colleges said they needed two days to restart classes, meaning students will be back on Tuesday. Colleges are extending their semesters so students don't lose their terms.
The provincial government has ordered the colleges to create a fund to help students who may be experiencing financial hardship because of the labor dispute. Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews estimated the amount would be about 5 million Canadian dollars (about 3.9 million dollars).
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents the striking faculties, said the dispute was the longest strike in the colleges' history.
