To all Direct Government OHS Committee Members in the Lower Mainland

"Ergonomics" will be held on Tueday, February 16 and "Joint OHS Committee Course" will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb 23-24. These courses will be held at the BCGEU office at #130-2920 Virtual Way, Vancouver from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

In the Ergonomics course you will learn:

• Requirements of the ergonomics regulation
• How to identify ergonomic hazards, to assess the risk factors of tasks and to recommend appropriate solutions
• Strategies for implementing an effective workplace ergonomics program
• How to conduct a workstation assessment

In the Joint OHS Committee Course you will learn:

• Worker OHS rights, including the refusal of unsafe work procedure
• OHS legislation
• Roles and responsibilities of employers, workers, supervisors and committees
• Hazard identification and control measures
• How to conduct effective workplace inspections and incident investigations
• Resources available to the committee
   

These courses are limited to 22 seats so register early at https://gww.gov.bc.ca/ to avoid disappointment.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to improve your ability to advocate for workers' health and safety rights - register today.

Note: If you have not taken your annual education leave, as mandated by the Workers' Compensation Act and your Collective Agreement - apply for this employer paid leave through your employer.

The Just Film Festival features social justice and environmental documentaries that go to the heart of issues confronting communities here and around the planet. The focus of the festival is to motivate audiences to action by spotlighting issues both local and global. It will also include a Social Justice Bazaar, on Saturday February 13th.

Visit the festival website for more information about tickets and the films to be shown: Just Film Festival

The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) is speaking out against a fee increase to rental tenants seeking a dispute resolution through the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB).

The new fee took effect on Jan. 1.

A renter filing a dispute resolution application with the RTB will now have to pay $100. That’s up from $50. An appeal review will now cost $50, up from $25.

“British Columbians are being forced to rent because they have no way of getting into the red hot real estate market,” said BCGEU treasurer Paul Finch. “Low income people cannot absorb a fee hike this extreme, thereby denying them any recourse when landlords violate the residential tenancy act.”

The BCGEU represents B.C. government employees who work for the RTB. Members in government jobs have told the union their efforts to serve the public in a timely and effective manner are obstructed by chronic understaffing in their offices.

“Resources are inadequate in these offices, but renters shouldn’t have to foot the bill to fix the system. There has to be another way that doesn’t deny low income renters access to dispute resolution,” said Maria Middlemiss, second vice-president of the BCGEU’s administrative services component.

“How is this fair to renters? Especially in light of this week’s boost in the homeowners grant threshold, ensuring people with homes worth up to $1.2 million get a break in property taxes,” said Finch.