On April 9, myself and union staff representative Britt Skinner met with Finance Minister Selina Robinson's Senior Ministerial Advisor, Liam Lawson, to raise the concerns that are impacting BCGEU members the most. 

Also in attendance at the meeting were Jeff Groot, Executive Lead, Crown Agencies Secretariat, Douglas Scott, Deputy Minister, Crown Agencies Secretariat, and Alyson Blackstock, Assistant Deputy Minister, Employee Relations at BC Public Service.

During the meeting, we raised issues that impact Component 5 members across the province including examples of unresolved or badly handled labour relations issues that we believe could and should have been dealt with better. 

In addition, we emphasized our long-standing belief that BCLDB workers should have been included in the province's Temporary Pandemic Pay (TPP) program and reiterated the fundamental ask of our #essentialBLDB campaign: given that the TPP is closed, the Finance Minister, who oversees the BCLDB, should authorize the use of pandemic-related BCLDB revenue to provide essential pay for our members' government-deemed essential work. 

Overall, they were receptive to our labour relations concerns and the related discussion was constructive. In the end, Mr. Lawson and Mr. Scott agreed to bring our request for essential pay back to the Finance Minister for consideration.

As we wait for follow-up, we encourage you to continue communicating with our union representatives about any challenges or issues you're having in your workplace. Please contact your steward or your local area office, and we will continue advocating for you on these issues, including essential pay for essential work.

In solidarity,
Kusam Doal
Vice President, BCGEU Component 5 (Retail Stores and Warehouse)