FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
September 2, 2025 

BURNABY, B.C. (Coast Salish Territories) – A portion of members of the B.C. General Employees' Union (BCGEU) working for the BC Public Service will begin job action today at various locations throughout the province after issuing strike notice on Friday, August 29, 2025. 

Picket lines will go up in Prince George, Surrey and at sites across Victoria. BCGEU president Paul Finch will be available to media at 10:00am at the Jack Davis building at 1810 Blanchard Street in Victoria. 

Picket lines will also be in Prince George at 1011 4th Ave and in Surrey at 10470 152 Street. Shift times vary, but picketers will be on site for photos and video between 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST. 

Note: there will be no media spokespeople at the Prince George and Surrey picket lines. Video assets will be available by 2pm. Please send interview requests to Nadja Komnenic, BCGEU Communications  
[email protected], 604-442-2289 

“Public service workers fight fires, staff emergency lines, and care for our most vulnerable. But these workers are facing an affordability crisis,” said BCGEU President Paul Finch. “These same people who are struggling to make ends meet have voted overwhelmingly to strike. They are declaring that the government’s last offer is unacceptable and they are willing to fight for the deal that they need.”  

The union's proposal, tabled the week of June 23, 2025, was for a two-year deal at 4% in the first year and 4.25% in the second year. The proposal includes wage lifts for members at the lower end of the pay scale, and targeted occupational adjustments and bonuses into base salaries to provide lasting improvements. The proposal is designed to address the affordability crisis workers are facing so that we can strengthen the public services people in British Columbia depend on. Details of the latest offer and counteroffer are publicly available on the BCGEU website. 

A strike vote was called following a breakdown in negotiations between the BCGEU and the PSA on July 18, 2025. Voting began on August 11 and closed August 29. Members voted 92.7 per cent in favour of taking job action, allowing job action to take place within 90 days, following 72-hour strike notice which the union issued on August 29, 2025.    

Media Contact 
Nadja , BCGEU Communications 
[email protected] | 604-442-2289 

About the BCGEU 
The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) is one of B.C.’s largest, most diverse, and fastest growing unions, representing over 95,000 members in 550 bargaining units in both the public and private sectors. 73,000 of those members are covered by one of six sectoral agreements in the public sector, and 34,000 within the public sector group work directly for the public service. For more visit: https://www.bargainingbc.ca/public_service. 

In support of workers’ demands, the BCGEU released the July 2025 report B.C.’s public service: An investment in public safety and a healthy economy.