"PSEC mandate" is a term used in the last several rounds of public sector bargaining with the government. Essentially, it is the funding and wage proposals set for all government funded collective agreements in the province.

It’s important to note that our union does not need to accept the employer mandate if we don’t think it’s fair or appropriate. Just because they say it’s the mandate does not mean we accept.

• The mandate is a plan developed by the Treasury Board and the Ministry of Finance, presented to the government for approval and applied by PSEC.  
• It describes how much the government will spend on total compensation for all workers directly employed by the government or more broadly in the public sector.
• It is prepared based on an assumed general wage increase applicable to all workers (e.g., three per cent per year).
• It applies to many sectors (health facilities, the civil service, post-secondary, etc.) and impacts both unionized and non-unionized workers in B.C.

Sometimes the government gives names to its mandates (e.g., the "shared recovery mandate" of 2022). Regardless, it is PSEC who determines (in what they believe to be an equitable fashion) how much funding each of the employer associations (including the Public Service Agency, with whom our Public Service Bargaining Committee negotiates) will have for compensation increases in their sector.  

Most of our bargaining with our respective employers’ associations involves how that money is spent.

Typically, the unions who settle on an agreement first – which has not always been the BCGEU – set the pattern or tone for the bargaining of other agreements. Employer associations will reference the first-to-settle agreement and aim to follow it in other agreements.

For more about PSEC, watch this explainer video by BCGEU president Paul Finch:

Below are the last union and employer offers exchanged before impasse was declared on July 18.

The length of time it takes to settle grievances is too long – especially for simple grievances like: 

• union leave denial
• vacation denial
• overtime bypasses
• other, simple, straightforward, time-sensitive matters

Grievances are taking as long as two years to resolve, even when it's a simple matter. Lengthy waits mean that – when they win – members don't actually get the leaves they've been denied, as the days requested have long passed. In these cases, justice delayed is justice denied. As a result, many members have lost confidence in the grievance system.

Our proposed solution: Separating complex and simple grievances into two streams would help conclude both types more quickly. It is not effective to put costly and limited legal resources into very simple cases. That's why we have proposed a "Rapid Grievance Tribunal" process to facilitate quick settlement of simple grievances in the most informal manner possible.

Learn more about the Rapid Grievance Tribunal here.

Improving wages is our top priority in this round of bargaining but we’re also fighting for other items to improve and modernize our contract – like replacing the Public Service Job Evaluation Plan (PSJEP).

PSJEP is the system that determines the grid level and corresponding pay rate for positions by evaluating the complexity of their work according to a series of benchmarks. In other words, it determines where you are on the wage grid and your corresponding pay.

BCGEU members have raised concerns about PSJEP: it’s out of date, lacks transparency and realistic timelines, and suppresses wages because its scoring system isn’t designed for the work we do today. Basically, it doesn’t take into consideration what the market pays for our work and is failing to get us the compensation we deserve.

Members overwhelmingly support replacing and modernizing this system. A new classification system is a step towards fairness: getting equal pay for equal work through a more transparent and better-defined process.

Learn more about the Job Evaluation Plan here or by watching this explainer video by BCGEU president Paul Finch:

Telework and remote work are increasingly important to many BCGEU members working in the public service. But the current language in our collective agreement doesn’t address the arbitrary and inconsistent way that flexible work arrangements are applied. Members have reported abrupt and unpredictable changes to their telework or remote work setups.

In other words, existing arrangements are precarious - and that uncertainty creates significant stress, especially as members navigate rising costs, affordability challenges and the need for work-life balance.

FYI: “Telework” is flexible but linked to a specific office. “Remote work” is

fully detached from any physical office.

Our union is advocating for more transparent, equitable and enforceable flexible work language in our agreement. We are also committed to reviewing each position individually to assess its suitability for telework and remote work, underscoring the urgency of this issue and its impact on your working conditions and entitlements.

You didn’t cause the debt—and you shouldn’t be expected to pay for it with a cut to your real wages.

The cost of living keeps rising, and more and more public service workers are struggling to afford to live in B.C., let alone keep working for the government. Fair wages aren’t a luxury—they’re essential to recruiting and retaining the people who deliver the services British Columbians rely on.

The truth is, the government can afford to invest in its workforce. What’s missing isn’t money—it’s political will and priorities.

Our union recently released a report with detailed analysis of government’s finances and spending priorities. It shows the government has the fiscal room to make fair investments in public services and workers—and outlines options like reducing the growth of costly non-union management to free up resources for frontline staffing.

Improving wages is our top priority in this round of bargaining but we’re also fighting for a more reasonable number of excluded manager positions so some funding can be redirected to frontline service work.

The BC Public Service has become too top-heavy. Since 2010, excluded management positions have grown nearly double the rate of unionized frontline worker positions – to the point where, today, there is one excluded position for every three unionized positions. This disproportionate focus on management means the government has been starving workers and making them do more with less.

Not only is this causing stress, inefficiencies and reduced services to the people of British Columbia, it’s expensive: the average non-BCGEU excluded manager makes almost $45,000 a year more than the average BCGEU worker.

We’re demanding that government limit the number of BC Public Service jobs that are excluded and redirect that funding to unionized ones. Specifically, we’re asking to return the ratio to 1:4 – as it was 14 years ago.

We hope that the pressure from our initial phase of job action will be sufficient to force the employer back to the table with an acceptable offer. However, your bargaining committee has plans for escalating pressure should that be necessary. However, it’s important that we don’t reveal those plans too early, which could give the employer time to prepare, and weaken the impact of strike action.  

Prior to job action expanding to additional worksites, our union will inform members at those target sites. To ensure you receive information about job action at your worksite without delay, please ensure your personal email address is up to date on the BCGEU Member Portal, and make sure you’re in regular contact with the picket captain or worksite contact at your worksite. 

No one wants to go on strike, and your bargaining committee worked for months to try to reach a deal at the negotiating table. Unfortunately, the employer has refused to put forward a wage offer that meets the affordability crisis members are facing. Job action is necessary to pressure them to come back to the table with an acceptable offer.

The job action strategy has been carefully planned to apply maximum pressure on the employer while minimizing negative impacts on BCGEU members and the public.

Strikes do cause some disruption—but that’s what makes them powerful. They expose just how essential our work is and the crisis conditions we’ve been holding together for too long. Time and again, history shows that strikes are an effective way to win improvements to wages and working conditions.

Scabbing is when someone chooses to work for an employer when the employer’s regular workers are on strike. Scabbing weakens our union’s ability to negotiate a strong agreement for members. Don’t do it.

Crossing a picket line to do your job or someone else’s job – physically or remotely – is scabbing. Signing in to your employer’s laptop while your workplace is on strike is also scabbing.

BCGEU members who scab risk having their union membership revoked – this would make them unqualified for their unionized job within the BC Public Service, putting their employment at risk. 

Scabbing isn’t just for workers who are currently on strike. If you are not on strike, you should not be drowning in work right now. Excluded managers are supposed to be doing up to 60 hours of work a week to make up for striking workers right now.

Struck work is any work that would have been done by a strike worker. Covering for a coworker who is striking is not like covering when a coworker is on vacation – don’t do it!

The only two types of people who can do struck work are:

• excluded managers 
• official essential service workers at the striking site

If you are asked to do work that would normally be done by someone who is on strike, you do not need to consent. You will not be disciplined for refusing – contact the union if this happens.

• If you or your team's worksite, home base or headquarters* is listed under Which worksites are on strike? above, YOU ARE ON STRIKE. 
• If you work at one of these locations physically - even if your team is headquartered somewhere else - YOU ARE ON STRIKE. 
• If you work part-time, as an auxiliary or only go into the office occasionally - and your team’s home base/headquarters are one of these locations - YOU ARE ON STRIKE. 
• In other words, if your home base, your team’s home base (if you are remote), or the site you work at is on strike - YOU ARE ON STRIKE.  
• You can also check the address listed on your paycheque*, your letter of employment, telework agreement and/or the physical address of your worksite to determine if it’s an address that is being picketed. (*Note: If you work in a BC Liquor or Cannabis store, use the address of the store(s) you work at, even if the LDB HQ is listed on your paycheque)

If you’re still unclear where your team’s home base or headquarters is, talk to your colleagues and worksite contacts – you all know best! 

Here are two example scenarios:  

• If your team is based out of 1810 Blanshard Street in Victoria (which is on strike), but you work from 4051 18th Ave in Prince George (which is not currently on strike), you are on strike.  
• If your team is based out of 817 Government Street in Victoria (which isn’t currently on strike), but you work out of the office at 900 Howe Street in Vancouver (which is currently on strike), you are on strike. 

* – Important note: Identifying your home base or headquarters can be confusing in some instances. This is because of the arbitrary and inconsistent way the employer applies flexible work arrangements – something we're addressing in this round of bargaining.

Striking is not like covering when a coworker is on vacation. 

Do your best to answer the amount of emails that you would if your team was fully there. Do not absorb work that workers who are on strike would usually do. 

Section 68(2) and 68(3) of the BC Labour Code specifically outlines workers’ rights to refuse to scab (aka doing the work of a striking worker).

Only two types of people who can do struck work are 1) excluded managers 2) official essential service workers at that site.

Refusing overtime is part of our ongoing escalation strategy to put pressure on the employer to return to the bargaining table with a fair wage offer. By working together and holding the line, we demonstrate the strength and solidarity of our membership.

How does an Overtime Ban Work?

• Do not accept or perform any overtime shifts.
• If you are asked to perform overtime, politely decline and inform your picket captain immediately.
• Your normal scheduled hours remain unaffected.

Important Notes

Overtime should never be worked for free—whether we are on strike or not. To protect the value of your work, it’s essential that you take your breaks and avoid starting early or staying late without pay.

Picket lines are hard lines. No union member should ever cross them—whether in person or remotely. This includes accepting overtime during an overtime ban. Doing so is considered scabbing.

Members who scab risk having their union membership revoked. Without union membership, you cannot hold a unionized job in the B.C. Public Service—putting your employment directly at risk.

As of September 15, only select sites are engaged in an overtime ban. You can find the current list in the "Which worksites are on strike?" question above

Remote workers are still part of strike action. If either your team or worksite is on strike, you must not work. Reporting for work remotely is the same as crossing a physical picket line.

If you work remotely and your worksite goes on strike, report to the picket line at the site you work at or are headquartered out of.

If that's not possible, and you live within 30km of one of the worksites on the above list, report there. If that’s not possible, talk to a picket captain about potential strike duties.

NOTE: Virtual strike shifts are available only to those who live more than 30km from the nearest strike line, or who have medical limitations that prevent them from joining a picket line.

Our union can provide form letters that members can send to creditors as well as an official letter from the union confirming that members are indeed on strike.

Other steps you can take:

• Talk to your lender — can you get a deferral on your mortgage payment and work out a new payment plan? – many financial institutions have provisions specifically for individuals who are on strike.
• Talk to your insurance company — can you spread out your payments
• Hold off on risky purchases that could create more costs down the road, if you are able.

Read more financial planning tips here.

Essential services designations are based on the position, not the individual. 

If you are on strike, strike pay will be provided to members who join picket lines or participate in other strike duties. If your position and/or shifts are not essential under the Essential Services Order, it is expected that you will be supporting the bargaining committee’s efforts toward a renewed collective agreement. Crossing picket lines (including by working remotely during a strike) could lead to union discipline and affect your employment. 

Even though you are on strike, you still have rights to get certain items from HR, and the union would never want to see you miss a job opportunity or mortgage renewal  – but you still need to do it in a way to not cross a picket line. 

Never use your work email. Let them know your personal email to get these items. 

Call HR for any of these: 1-877-277-0772 

• Notifying of EI leave (e.g. Mat leave/Compassionate Care leave/etc.) 
• Getting proof of employment (e.g. for mortgages) 
• Verifying if a vacation day was approved (to know if to picket or not) 
• Issue with paystub from when being paid previously 
• Calling to accept a job offer 
• Notifying of retirement  
• Updating all correspondence to be sent to your personal email

You can access IDIR for:  

• Applying for jobs internally (note: you can still interview, simply have correspondence sent to your personal email, and do not be interviewed physically in any struck location).

New STIIP claim benefits and sick days will not be paid during job action. 

However, members who miss a day of strike duties through illness can make up the time by taking an additional picketing shift on another day, at any physical picket line.

When you come in to make up for the lost shift that you couldn't attend because of sickness, please specify that to the picket captain checking you in. The picket captain checking you in will go back to the day that you were sick and add a shift for that day as an adjustment.

Note: You cannot make up shifts by virtual picketing if you aren't already approved to picket virtually. If you are picketing in-person, you must make up for a shift by picketing in-person

Our union and your employer have completed essential services negotiations, and the BC Labour Relations Board will be issuing a Global Order which identifies essential positions (“Designated Essential”).

If your position is designated as an essential service, you will be contacted by the employer with details on your schedule. Here’s how that works:

• Your manager tells you that you are essential and provides you with a form 2a and schedule on when you are supposed to work. You must be on strike for an essential service designation to be enacted.
• When it’s time for you to work, you request Picket Pass here (link to form).  
• You will be verified as essential each day – on the picket line with a captain if you work in person or at a virtual check in for remote workers. 
• If the employer has not sent the union the schedule, you must not work until the union can confirm you are essential. You will not have any repercussions for not working until the union can confirm.

When an essential service order is made by the Labour Relations Board, it applies to positions and work – not to individual people. So, everyone should be prepared to take strike action. If your position is designated essential, you can still support job action in other ways, such as visiting picket lines after work or wearing a solidarity button.

To be cleared by the BCGEU to do this work while your worksite is on strike (i.e., to not scab), you must do the following:  

1. prepare a “picket pass” at http://bcgeu.ca/picket-pass, and 
2. show your picket pass to a BCGEU picket captain at the picket line to be cleared to cross. 

You must follow this process for EACH DAY you are scheduled to do essential duties. 

If your work is struck, that strike applies 24 hours a day, anywhere you are. It doesn’t matter whether it is during picket hours or not, nor does it matter if it is in-office or remote.

If you get scheduled for an essential services shift or are called in for an emergency shift after picket line hours (e.g., midnight, weekends, etc.), follow the instructions above for preparing a “picket pass”, report to work and your picket captain or designate will contact you to verify your check-in.

If you dispute that the work is of an emergency nature, still report to work.

But please email [email protected] and explain why you think the work doesn’t apply. Our union will investigate.

Our union has agreed with the employer that Coordinated Operation Response in Emergencies (CORE) teams – who support residents in times of severe emergency (e.g. wildfires) – will not be affected by the strike.

If you are called in to perform CORE team duties, please report to work as required.

If you need to report to a struck worksite as a CORE team member, please prepare a “picket pass” at http://bcgeu.ca/picket-pass and present it to a picket captain. You may also be asked to show the letter you received from the employer confirming your appointment to the CORE team.

We don’t yet know the results of the strike vote, but we also need to be ready for anything. We're starting the process of getting members signed up for strike pay in case job action becomes necessary.

Starting this process as early as possible gives members more time to complete the sign-up process and allows more time to support anyone who runs into technical difficulties along the way.

To be clear: just because you receive an invitation to register for strike pay does not mean that your worksite will be going on strike.

All members who are actively working should have been sent an invitation to register for Payworks. If you are on leave, you might not be eligible for strike pay and may not need to register. 

If you did not receive an email from Payworks, please follow these steps: 

1. Search your email for a message from [email protected]. Check your Spam/Junk folders as well.   
2. Confirm that your personal email address is up to date on the BCGEU Member Portal. You should receive your Payworks invitation email within two business days after updating your personal email address on the member portal. 
3. If you still have not received the email, please reach out to [email protected] or call 1-833-833-1647. 

Please do not contact Payworks for assistance. They will be unable to help you. 

Signing up for Payworks only takes 5-10 minutes. Make sure you have your banking information on hand to make it even easier.  

Follow these steps: 

1. Check your inbox – You’ll receive an email from [email protected] 
2. Click “Access Account” in the email to start the registration process. 
3. Verify your identity – You’ll be asked to confirm one of the following, based on what we have on file: birth date, postal code of your personal mailing address or home telephone number. If none of the above are on file, Payworks will ask you to confirm your name. 
4. Create your Payworks login: 
   • Enter your email address. 
   • Check your inbox for a 6-digit verification code from [email protected] 
   • Enter the code to confirm your email. 
   • Create a password. If you already have a Payworks login from another employer, you can use your existing email address and password.   
5. Set up direct deposit: 
   • Once logged in, go to Accounts Management. 
   • Click Personal (beside BCGEU). 
   • Go to My Information → Profile → Direct Deposit. 
   • Enter the transit, institution, and account number of your bank account. 
   • Click Save. 
6. You are now registered and ready to receive your strike pay via direct deposit from Payworks. 

Want more details including a walk through? Watch our Payworks registration video here: https://www.payworks.ca/bcgeu---how-to-log-into-payworks-ess 

Members can use the “Forgot your password?” link on the log-in page to prompt a new email from being sent.

If you are having issues specifically with Payworks — you haven't received the email or you're having other issues getting your account set up — please contact our strike support team at [email protected] or call 1-833-833-1647.

For all other issues with strike pay, please talk with your picket captain, and they can help you solve the problem.

Please do not contact Payworks for assistance. They will be unable to help you. 

You can find your transit #, institution #, and account # at the bottom of a paper cheque. You can also contact your credit union or bank for assistance – many institutions have these numbers accessible if you log into your account online, and many can even generate a void cheque.

If you do not have an email address and are not able to create one, an analogue system will be developed that will likely involve picking up a paper cheque at your closest area office. We kindly ask all union members to assist your union by using the Payworks system, if possible, in order to free up union resources for those who cannot.

It is important to note that this analogue process will result in your strike pay being delayed by at least 2 weeks compared to enrolling in direct deposit.

If you cannot use the Payworks system, there is nothing for you to do at this time. If your worksite goes on strike, we will distribute further instructions then.

If your vacation was approved prior to your office going on strike, your vacation will still be honoured. Once your office is on strike, your employer is not obligated to approve your vacation. If the employer isn’t honouring pre-approved vacation time – e.g., saying it was approved, but not entered into the system – please email [email protected] with details.

We have heard of management saying this. It is not true. No matter where you are when a strike happens, you must stop working. If you don’t, you are scabbing. 

If you haven’t left yet, cancel your trip. If you are already away, come home when you are able. Inform your employer that you will no longer be working. Join a virtual or close in-person line as possible to receive picket pay until you are home when you can join your regular building line. 

While picketing, you are considered to be on an unpaid leave from your job and, as such, are not entitled to WCB benefits. This means that, if you experience an injury, a mental disorder that did not result from a personal injury, damage or break your eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids or artificial appliance, or you die while picketing, you are not entitled to compensation.  

However, if you are working an essential service-designated job and experience one of the above circumstances while leaving the employer’s premises at the end of your shift, you may be entitled to compensation under the Workers Compensation Act.  

If this applies to you, contact your steward and BCGEU area office. 

If you are on strike, you will be considered on an unpaid leave from your bargaining unit position. During this time, you will not be paid by the employer nor will contributions be made to your pension.  

Our union will provide strike pay to members who join picket lines or participate in other strike duties however nothing is deducted from strike pay (including pension contributions).  

If you were approved by the employer for STIIP prior to job action, you will continue to receive your STIIP benefits until your STIIP term (max six months) concludes. This includes the ability to apply for LTD (long term disability) benefits.    

New STIIP claim benefits will not be paid during job action. 

If you are on Long Term Disability (LTD), Workers’ Compensation or maternity/parental leave, and your leave was approved prior to the start of possible job action, your leave will not be impacted by a strike – you will continue to receive this benefit*. However, you will not qualify for strike pay (because you will not be losing wages during job action). 

*Note: Continuation of employer-paid “top up” benefits for maternity/parental leave will need to be negotiated between our union and the employer prior to job action. 

If you are on strike, you should not be attending work irrespective of a gradual return to work agreement.  Since your GRTW is from LTD/STIIP, your LTD/STIIP portion of your GRTW will still be paid during this time and should proceed in the way it was set out.

If you need an accommodation for picketing duties, you need to talk to your picket captains. There are a variety of roles on picket lines and alternate duties. Your picket captain needs to know your restrictions to determine what accommodation can be granted.

GRTW is testing a worker’s ability to return to the office. What sort of work do you do? What restrictions do you have? (e.g. Do you work in a help line? Are you a project manager? Does you work outside moving things?)

It is not a hard and fast rule that your time on the line will count for GRTW – however if your picket captain can get some of the above information and fashion strike duties for you that are “testing” appropriately it could be a good case.

Also, doctors can “trump” in this situation as fundamentally it’s a medical question. Depending on the situation, they can deem that you are ready to return, even if you did not do any “testing” work

The decision on when to take a leave is one between the parent and their doctor. You are entitled to leave from work by the provisions of the Employment Standards Act. It is best to submit leave requests prior to picketing. A parent can still submit the date their leave would start after job action commences. If your leave request is approved prior to job action, your leave will be honoured and EI benefits paid.  

Whether employer-provided "top up" benefits are paid during job action will need to be negotiated between our union and the employer. 

If you are on strike, you will be considered on an unpaid leave from your bargaining unit position. You will not be paid by the employer for the period in which you are on strike. 

The BCGEU will provide strike pay to members who join picket lines or participate in other strike duties. 

If your worksite is on strike, you will be considered on unpaid leave from the bargaining unit position you currently hold. If your position and/or shifts are not designated essential under the Essential Services Order, it is expected that you will be supporting the bargaining committee’s efforts toward a renewed collective agreement, including by joining the picket lines or participating in other strike duties. Crossing picket lines (including by working remotely during a strike) could lead to union discipline and affect your employment.

The BCGEU has developed a financial planning tip sheet for its members. Further information is available here.  

If you are on strike, you will be considered on an unpaid leave from the bargaining unit position you currently hold. 

Extensions to temporary assignments are at the discretion of the employer, subject to the terms of our collective agreement. 

The BCGEU has developed a financial planning tip sheet for its members. Further information is available here.  

A strike in itself does not affect your eligibility for permanent residency. If you are seeking permanent residency, you are allowed to participate in a legal strike.

If you need employment-related documents for your application for permanent residency, a strike may impact how long it could take to get them from the employer.

If you are on strike, you are considered to be on unpaid leave from the bargaining unit position you currently hold. This means that you are still ‘employed’ but on an unpaid leave as a result of the strike.

We ask you to respect our picket line as if it were your own. Unions are stronger together.

Most union workers in B.C. have the right to not cross picket lines and not be disciplined for it.

You should contact your union right away and ask if working remotely counts as crossing a picket line.

Our union received no prior notice of this action by government, and the public service bargaining committee is working on getting the answers that members want.

A blanket hiring freeze isn’t the right tool for supporting effective public services during times of crisis. Government should be consulting BCGEU members who have extensive experience providing those services and critical feedback to share about what's essential for the function of public services.

The hiring freeze does not change our approach at the bargaining table.

We remain committed to negotiating an agreement that addresses affordability for members in a meaningful way – in addition to all of the important non-monetary issues that you have identified.

We will also continue to propose that government review the ratio of front-line staffing to excluded management in the civil service. Since 2010, the number of excluded managers has grown at nearly double the rate of included front-line workers.

Understanding your collective agreement is essential to knowing your rights and responsibilities—especially during job action, like a strike — and discussions with your fellow members is an important way to learn and understand.

That said, you should be mindful of how you communicate with colleagues, particularly at the workplace and during worktime. It is important to use personal email accounts, equipment and messaging apps for communication about issues pertaining to our union, bargaining and job action, instead of employer-provided equivalents, which are prohibited for communication during a strike. This is why keeping your personal email address on file with our union (in the BCGEU Member Portal) is so important.

We also recommend that you take your scheduled breaks, instead of working through them, and use them as valuable opportunities to connect with fellow workers and build solidarity.

Most importantly, familiarize yourself with the language in your collective agreement. Being informed helps protect your rights and ensures effective communication throughout any work stoppage or job action.