The fate of some 500,000 Ontario college students hangs in the balance.

Instructors at the province's 24 schools have voted to support a strike mandate, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union announced on Wednesday.

However, the 9,000 teachers have not said if they will walk out of the classroom. A job action was thought to have been held as early as February, possibly jeopardizing the school year.

"Our members have delivered a clear statement. If management is serious about reaching a settlement then it's time they returned to the bargaining table with the singular goal of reaching an agreement," OPSEU president Warren Thomas outlined in a press release.

The province's colleges have an enrollment of about 200,000 full-time and 300,000 part-time students.

The union, which represents college professors, counselors and librarians, has said it would use a mandate to push for a return to the bargaining table and would wait at least a month before placing its members on strike.

For its part, Colleges Ontario is claiming a new right to impose the latest contract without negotiations.

Five months of talks between OPSEU and the colleges broke down on December 15. The main issues remain wages and workload. The union is asking for a wage increase of 7.5 per cent over three years but the colleges would like that amount spread over four years.

The latest offer from Colleges Ontario is an eight per cent wage increase over four years, and a salary cap of $103, 975.