Ontario college faculty receive salary increase after Bill 124 deemed unconstitutional

Around 16,000 workers represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) will receive an additional 6.5 per cent in salary increases over three years, the union announced on Wednesday.

The wage increase comes as an Ontario court found Bill 124 unconstitutional las year – a law introduced by the Ford government in 2019 that capped salary increases for public sector employees at 1 per cent for three years.

“The purpose of the Act is to ensure that increases in public sector compensation reflect the fiscal situation of the province,” Ontario government said at the time.

However, the bill was declared unconstitutional by Ontario Superior Court in November 2022.

“This settlement is a necessary step forward for our 16,000 members following the unconstitutional constraints imposed by Bill 124, but it does not sufficiently address the erosion of our members’ wages as a result of inflation,” OPSEU’s bargaining team Chair Ravi Ramkissoonsingh said in the release. “We look forward to going back to the bargaining table again next year,” he added.

Breaking: Ontario College Faculty secure salary and benefit increases in #Bill124 wage reopener negotiations. Congratulations to the @CAATfaculty bargaining team and membership. For more information visit https://t.co/1qqdQr7N1b #onpoli #onlab pic.twitter.com/cuXJRz45MP

— OPSEU (@OPSEU) August 15, 2023

The Provincial government the court’s decision to strike down the law, but in the meantime many workers have received additional wages as the law’s repeal reopened clauses in their contracts.

In April, Ontario Nurses Union were awarded retroactive pay increases for the three years starting April 1, 2020 after the overturn of Bill 124.

Rahat Sandhu