FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
September 18, 2025 

BCGEU escalates job action with new picket lines in Victoria and Burnaby 

BURNABY, B.C. – The BC General Employees' Union (BCGEU) has expanded job action today to two strategically chosen sites that highlight the essential role public service workers play in B.C.'s economy and daily services: 

Victoria: 4464 Markham Street (Ministry of Citizens' Services) 
Burnaby: 4370 Dominion Street (Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch) 

Members at the Ministry of Citizens' Services deliver front-line services such as issuing BC Services Cards, processing Freedom of Information requests, maintaining provincial information technology systems, and facilitating BC Bids. Their absence is expected to create delays for individuals, businesses and government ministries, underscoring the critical nature of their work. 

Members at the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch regulate the province's gaming industry, including oversight of the B.C. Lottery Corporation. Withdrawing their labour could disrupt gambling service providers and slow a significant provincial revenue stream. 

By broadening job action to these areas of B.C.'s public service, the BCGEU is increasing pressure on government to return to the bargaining table with an improved wage offer, while demonstrating the indispensable contributions of its members to the people of British Columbia and the provincial economy.

With today's escalation, there are now more than 4,600 members on strike at 19 picket lines in cities across the province (Victoria, Surrey, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Kelowna, Cranbrook, Nelson, Fort St. John, Smithers, Vancouver, Prince George and Burnaby). Combined with overtime bans by an additional 3,900 other members, this escalation means there are now over 8,500 BCGEU members taking job action across B.C. in effort to get the government to return to the bargaining table with an improved wage offer.

"These workers provide services that touch the daily lives of British Columbians-from issuing BC Services Cards and processing Freedom of Information requests, to maintaining IT infrastructure and managing BC Bids, the platform that connects public sector organizations with contractors," said Paul Finch, BCGEU president and chair of the public service bargaining committee. "When this work stops, it creates real pressure on government to return to the table with a fair wage offer." 

"Until now, our job action has primarily targeted core government operations, with the exception of the Royal BC Museum. But government's refusal to return to the table with a fair wage offer leaves us no choice but to escalate. We are now expanding job action to sites that are essential to both the public and businesses-a step we had hoped to avoid." 

"Government's first quarterly budget report confirmed what we've been saying: B.C. is not facing a fiscal crisis. Our debt-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in the country, and debt servicing costs are manageable. None of this is a barrier to paying public service workers a fair wage.

"Investing in public service workers is essential to sustaining the services British Columbians rely on and to keeping our economy strong," added Finch. "If Finance Minister Brenda Bailey is serious about protecting these services now and into the future, government must show fairness and respect to the workers who deliver them-and that begins with a fair deal at the bargaining table." 

"The government's current offer of 3.5 per cent over two years falls short of inflation projections for B.C. over the same period. Wages in B.C. are up 40.6 per cent since 2016, but public service workers have only seen a 27.2 per cent increase. We're on strike to close that 13.4-point gap and keep up with the cost of living. Public service workers cannot keep falling behind." 

A full and up-to-date list of active picket lines can be found here.

-30-

For more information, contact BCGEU Communications: 

Nadja Komnenic: [email protected] | 604.442.2289
Backgrounder: https://www.bargainingbc.ca/public_service

UWU/MoveUP