Douglas College support staff is on strike today, and the school is closed but expects to re-open tomorrow.
British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union have picket lines on the Royal Avenue and the Eighth Street corner of the New Westminster campus and plan to continue picketing until 7 p.m. tonight, according to an update on the college's website.
On Nov. 2, support staff voted 77 per cent in favour of strike action to back their bargaining demands.
"Douglas College support staff deserve a fair and reasonable deal," said union president Darryl Walker. "The monetary offer on the table at Douglas College is half what support staff at other post secondary institutions such as UBC and SFU have settled for. That's unfair, and it's not right."
As a result, all classes are cancelled at the New Westminster Campus for the entire day, including evening classes. As well, no services are available at the campus for the entire day. This includes the library, bookstore, registrar's office, fitness centre, etc. Tonight's theatre performance of The Rez Sisters is also cancelled, the college website states.
At the Coquitlam (David Lam) Campus, all classes and services are unaffected and are proceeding as usual. All locations other than the New Westminster campus, classes and services are proceeding as usual.
All classes and services will resume as usual at both campuses Thursday. Updated information will be available regularly at douglascollege.ca, through Facebook and Twitter and the labour update line at 1-877-679-0823.
Douglas College is the seventh largest post-secondary institution in the province, with 4,700 full-time and 10,000 part-time students for the 2011/12 school year.
