College Strike Date Set

A provincial mediator has been appointed to try and head off a strike by college teachers in Ontario.

The union has set a strike date of February 11 but Premier Dalton McGuinty is asking both sides to sit down and reach a negotiated settlement.

A strike would curtail classes for at least 200-thousand full-time students, including that at Confederation College's campus in Fort Frances.

Ted Montgomery of the OPSEU bargaining team says they are prepared to find alternatives that can keep the students in classes.

The union rejected a "final'' offer from the colleges last week and refused to take it directly to teachers for a vote.

OPSEU says it will call off the strike if the colleges agree to go to binding arbitration.

A spokesman for the 24 colleges says they will "seriously'' review the union's proposal.

Key issues for the union are workload and academic freedom.