Component 1 representatives met with the Minister of Public Safety & Solicitor General on October 23, 2018 to discuss outstanding issues from bargaining as well as ongoing violence within Adult Custody Corrections. 

The discussion included the need to fix the compression between the Correctional Officer and Correctional Supervisor salary grids created at bargaining, the issue of ongoing recruitment & retention, the 40 hour work week, double staff escorts, strengthening and changing the bargaining process, and ways to decrease the ongoing violence in light of recent changes to how we house inmates in segregation.

BCGEU Vice President & Component 1 Chairperson, Dean Purdy and BCGEU Director of Negotiations, Doug Dykens, represented the union at the meeting.

Recruitment and retention continues to be a severe problem around the Province at all 10 of our Correctional Centres. "We continue to hire new recruits over and over only to see them leave to the police departments and other law enforcement agencies, simply because of the difference in pay." said Purdy. We explained to the minister that lifts in compensation at bargaining only got us part of the way to where we think we need to be in order to retain staff." Purdy said.

The minister was advised that the union conducted a survey with our members in Component 1 in regards to safety, compensation, the bargaining process for Component 1, violence and preventing assaults on Officers. 

The minister explained that he was aware that the members did not ratify the Component 1 agreement and that the union has requested that the parties return to the table. If the employer agrees to the union's request, it is our hope that we will be successful in achieving our goals and be able to take it back to the members for another vote. 

"The minister indicated an interest in considering our suggestions and was respectful and engaged on all of our issues." said Purdy.

"I was very pleased by not only the minister's knowledge of our day to day issues in Corrections but also the need to address these key points that we raised. I look forward to the next steps in acting on these important issues." says Purdy.

If you have not completed the survey, please take a few minutes to fill it out, your component executive needs you valuable feedback! The deadline for completing the survey is October 31, 2018: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K23TJMK

UWU/MoveUP