Negotiators for Ontario’s colleges had been asking the provincial mediator to help restart talks with the union that represents striking faculty members.

The request came after they met Colleges Minister Chris Bentley today to discuss the 10-day-old strike by members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

Joy Warkentin, chair of the council’s bargaining team, said the colleges will consider a variety of options in a bid to reach a deal with their 9,100 faculty.

There haven’t been any talks since the strike began March 7.

Warkentin said the colleges are “eager” to work with the mediator and the union to negotiate a settlement and get students and teachers back in class.

Union negotiators are also meeting with Bentley today.

Bentley said he wanted to meet both sides because he feared the effect the strike was having on the province’s 150,000 colleges students.

Students and faculty members alike staged vocal protests yesterday, saying they’re being treated as pawns in the dispute. They demanded that the colleges and the teachers get back to the bargaining table.