Employees, including firefighters, correctional officers, administrative staff and workers at BC Liquor and Cannabis stores, previously cited soaring inflation and protecting wages as their top concerns. “Our members have been clear from day one that their priority this round of negotiations has been cost-of-living protection for their wages,” BCGEU President Stephanie Smith said in a Friday news release. “The bottom line is that they are not asking for anything that the MLAs don’t already have. The strike vote in June and the issuance of today’s notice is a message to the government that our members are serious.”
Read more: Over 90% of BCGEU civil service members vote to strike, citing inflation
Story continues below ad Almost 95 percent of affected BCGEU members voted to strike in June as inflation soared to eight percent. The most recent collective agreement between the union and the Civil Service Organization expired on April 1, with negotiations for a new agreement beginning on February 8. Negotiations reached an impasse on April 6. The province had submitted an offer with increases of 1.5 per cent in 2022, two per cent in 2023 and two per cent in 2024. The BCGEU proposal contained increases of five per cent or inflation — whichever is higher — in 2022 and 2023 . According to the union, the July talks with the employer “quickly broke down”. “Exploratory discussions” were held earlier this week with the Public Service Agency, but the union’s bargaining committee unanimously decided that a return to the table “would not be fruitful”. 1:44 Public service contract talks continue Public service contract talks continue – June 27, 2022 In a statement, the BC Public Service Agency said it respects the union’s right to take action and is committed to a fair deal that leaves “the workers who provide our vital services with more money in their pockets sooner rather than later. Story continues below ad “While it is uncertain how the union may initiate strike action, critical services will still be available for people,” the agency added. “Before any work begins, the processes required through the Industrial Relations Board set out basic service levels, ensuring that critical services for people continue.” In an internal government email shared with Global News, Deputy Public Service Minister Bobbi Sadler said it was “entirely up to the BCGEU what form the strike takes”. “The Labor Relations Board of BC (LRB) has temporarily set basic service levels to protect against the immediate and serious impact on the health, safety and welfare of British Columbians in the event of a strike,” he wrote. “Under the LRB process unions have responsibility for scheduling workers designated as essential.” The email then provides contact information for public officials with questions about next steps.
Read more: P.C. General Employees Union plans strike vote as contract impasse continues
Action for work could begin as early as 2:46 p.m. of Monday. In Friday’s email, the BCGEU said it would not disclose what form the action would take. Global News has reached out to BC Finance Minister Selina Robinson for comment on this story. He has previously said the government respects the collective bargaining process, including strike votes. Story continues below ad According to the BCGEU, almost 400,000 public sector workers have contracts that will expire or have already expired this year. — with files from Richard Zussman © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
