The strike at Toronto's York University will continue for at least a few more days.

On Sunday, the province's New Democrats refused to give the Liberal government the unanimity it needed to quickly pass back-to-work legislation.

The Liberal government and the Opposition Progressive Conservatives were willing to sit until midnight to push through the back-to-work bill in one day, but the New Democrats refused. That means the legislation likely won't be passed until Thursday, and students will have to wait until next week to return to the classroom.

For the second time in less than a year, MPPs were called to work on a Sunday to deal with a labour situation. Last April, the government took the same action in dealing with a weekend strike by Toronto Transit Commission workers.

"The New Democrats as a matter of principle, they [supported back-to-work legislation] just a few months ago in the context of the TTC strike," said Deputy Premier George Smitherman, who was angered by the NDP move.

Though the NDP supported the government's back-to-work legislation in the spring, the party said this time it's different.

The NDP said it will set a bad precedent if the university knows it has only to wait it out and not negotiate, expecting the government to step in with a back-to-work statute.

NDP Leader Howard Hampton defended the delay by saying New Democrats also have other issues they want to raise, including post-secondary funding.

"We believe in full and principled debate. We're not going to be a part of what we think has been a manipulative process," Hampton said.

'Grossly underfunded'

"Ontario's university system is grossly underfunded. Out of 10 provinces, Ontario ranks 10th," he said.

The Liberal government said it has increased York's operating budget by 52 per cent since it came to power.

York student Ann-Sophie Perigny-Michele said the delay caused by the NDP makes her feel like a pawn in a larger power struggle.

"It makes us mad because we're not only a prisoner of a university and a union, we're now prisoners of a government and political parties," she said.

Other students have been voicing their growing frustration on the social networking website Facebook, and some students are planning a rally at Queen's Park on Wednesday, one day before the union representing strikers will hold a news conference at the legislature.

Conservative Leader John Tory said he understands Hampton's position, but is still frustrated by the move.

"He could have said all that he wanted to say," Tory said, "and then we would have had people back to work tomorrow [Monday]. That's what he should have done."

Tory also had criticism for the Liberals. The strike wouldn't have come to this, he said, if the McGuinty government had moved sooner to end the dispute, which has now dragged on for more than 11 weeks.

Hampton said he foresees two or three days of debate.

Offer rejected

Last week, CUPE Local 3903, which represents about 3,400 teaching, graduate and research assistants and contract professors, turned down the university's latest contract offer in a vote forced upon the union by York.

That prompted Premier Dalton McGuinty to appoint a mediator to try to find a resolution to the dispute. But that move proved unsuccessful, prompting the recall of the legislature.

Union members went on strike Nov. 6 over improved job security for contract staff and class sizes, among several other issues. The school immediately suspended most academic activities, keeping about 50,000 students out of class.

The government bill calls for the two sides to appoint a mediator within five days of the legislation passing or the government will select one.

The bill instructs the mediator to consider the current economic environment in Toronto and the province, what kind of cuts York could have to make and salaries at other institutions before making a binding decision.

Workers who continue to strike or employers who bar staff from work after the legislation is passed could face fines of up to $2,000 a day.

A spokesperson for the university said if the back-to-work bill is passed on Tuesday, classes will resume Thursday. If passage is delayed until Wednesday, students likely won't return until Friday.

With files from the Canadian Press