The BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) president Stephanie Smith meets today in Surrey with a special government panel reviewing B.C.'s labour laws to call for changes that reflect the needs and interests of B.C. workers.

Representing over 75,000 workers from nearly every economic sector in B.C., the recommendations in the union's submission to the panel are based on three themes:

1. That workers be entitled to make their own internal decision to unionize without employer pressure;

2. That workers be entitled to fairness, timeliness and finality when it comes to labour decisions; and

3. That the labour code be responsive to the erosion of workers' rights in the modern economy due to more precarious, part-time, contract and contingent employment.

"The labour code is a significant piece of legislation that informs both how B.C.'s workers organize to join unions, and how unionized workers and their employers interact," says Smith. "This review is a good first step in the process of restoring fairness to both the labour code and the BC Labour Relations Board."

The labour code review panel is holding public hearings in 10 B.C. communities from now through mid-April, and the panel will report its findings and recommendations back to Labour Minister Harry Bains by August. The labour code has not been reviewed or amended in 15 years.

BCGEU's submission can be downloaded here: https://tinyurl.com/yc9oslpw

For more information contact Bronwen Barnett, BCGEU Communications, 604-719-4713

UWU/MoveUP