A PDF of the full tentative Main agreement (the Memorandum of Settlement) is available here. (Please note: this is a draft document and there may be minor errors that will be updated throughout the process.) Below you will find an executive summary of major changes to this tentative agreement from the previous agreement.
Reminders: For help understanding the tentative agreement, review the FAQs and attend an online member education townhall or webinar. Component tentative agreements will be available soon. Ratification voting will take place November 6-13, 2025, and further voting details will be provided soon. To participate in the ratification vote, you must provide the BCGEU Member Portal with your personal contact information.
Executive Summary
Length of agreement
The agreement will be good for 4 years, retroactive to April 1, 2025, and expiring March 31, 2029.
This length provides members with needed stability after a long strike, avoids overlapping with internal BCGEU elections, and allows time to implement key provisions of the agreement (such as the Rapid Grievance System and removal of the Public Service Job Evaluation Plan), integrate lessons from this strike for future rounds, and rebuild our union's defense fund.
While inflation risks in later years were a concern, the committee determined that the overall benefits and timeline advantages outweighed holding out longer for additional protections.
General wage increases
All members will receive a general wage increase of 3% each year of the collective agreement:
- 3% - retroactive to April 1, 2025
- 3% - April 1, 2026
- 3% - April 1, 2027
- 3% - April 1, 2028.
We have negotiated that the employer will pay retroactive wages within a “reasonable amount of time”, and our committee is ready to act if the employer delays the process.
Targeted adjustments
In addition to the general wage increases, there are a number of targeted adjustments that will mean significant increases for various member groups.
Once a market adjustment has been implemented it cannot be removed from an eligible regular employee (see MOU 22).
All current Market Adjustments (MAs) – formerly known as Temporary Market Adjustments (TMAs) - have been renewed and guaranteed for the next six years (through 2031). New MAs have also been negotiated for other in-demand roles.
We have also negotiated increases for members at lower grid levels.
- Grid range 6: Effective the first day of the pay period following June 1, 2025, all positions classified as grid range 6 will be paid at grid range 7.
- Grid range 9: Effective the first day of the pay period following March 1, 2026, all positions classified as grid range 9 will be paid at grid range 10 and effective June 1, 2027, all positions classified as grid range 9 will be paid at grid range 11.
- Grid range 12: effective the first day of the pay period following April 1, 2027, all positions classified as R12 will be paid at grid Range 13.
- Building on changes from our 2022 agreement, this tentative agreement removes the vast majority of the two-tiered Appendix G3 system that has long impacted our Retail and Warehouse members
Click here to see the specific details on targeted adjustments.
Step 6 – We have negotiated the addition of a new Step 6 on the wage grids that will take effect on April 1, 2028. Step 6 is 0.5% above the value of Step 5. Members who have been at Step 5 for 12 months or longer will now move up to Step 6. Those who have already completed 12 months of service at Step 5 will move up on April 1, 2028.
Bonuses are now pensionable – All existing bonuses have been rolled into MAs, which means those wages are now pensionable and paid in bi-weekly base pay.
Removal of the PSJEP system
Proper classification and evaluation of job duties ensures that members are fairly compensated for the work they do. That’s why we made replacing the outdated Public Service Job Evaluation Plan (PSJEP) one of our top priorities, and we’re excited to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to eliminate it.
Over the course of this collective agreement, our union and the PSA will form a joint committee to develop a new, relevant and fair system of classification evaluation.
If we are unsuccessful at doing so, the PSJEP will nonetheless be discontinued. This ensures that the employer cannot use outdated benchmarks to supress wages and forces individual negotiations for each classification in the absence of a system – an onerous task for all parties. We hope this will encourage the PSA to make meaningful progress on a new classification system.
Establishing a Rapid Grievance Tribunal
Grievances are how we resolve disputes about our collective agreement. The process is meant to allow simple matters to be resolved quickly at the workplace level and for more complicated matters to be handled at a higher level.
In recent years, the process has broken down, with many simple matters being escalated unnecessarily. As many of these simple matters are time-sensitive – like leave requests – delaying the process means a grievance won’t be resolved in time to allow the member to take the leave. Also, because the grievances weren’t resolved by front-line staff, there’s no learning at the workplace level. The same issue can repeat again and again, and members lose faith in the process.
To address this problem, our union has negotiated a system that would fast track simple grievances.
This will serve dual purposes: to ensure that our collective agreement is enforced in a timely manner and to allow stewards and managers to resolving disputes simply and avoid future disputes.
Renewal of MOU 1
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 1 is a provision in our previous collective agreement (April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2025) about employment security for regular employees. It outlines ways in which BCGEU members will retain their jobs in the event of a workforce adjustment by the employer.
In February 2025, your bargaining committee secured the renewal of MOU 1 – a significant step in this round of bargaining, given the government’s two hiring freeze announcements earlier this year and late last year.
The tentative agreement includes MOU 1 and states it will apply for the term of the agreement.
Dedicated remote positions
Because dedicated remote positions and their locations differ from the Employer’s telework policy, a new Memorandum of Understanding was created to establish “dedicated remote positions” as a new designation tied to the position (not the employee).
The MOU states that these positions are based out of approved remote work locations (the positions’ “Headquarters”) within B.C., will form a new provincial seniority block and are subject to annual review, with the Employer providing necessary equipment but not covering relocation costs unless specifically directed. This ensures that members are correctly recognized for recall and layoff provisions within the agreement.
In addition, a separate letter commits the Employer to conduct a one-time review within 30 days of ratification to identify current bargaining unit positions that should be designated “dedicated remote,” giving affected employees the option to decline the change to their position’s Headquarters. Employees who accept a remote position because of the Employer’s one-time review and remain in the same isolated location will keep their existing isolation allowances and vacation adjustments.
Finally, the existing MOU #17 on additional vacation for remote locations was renewed, providing an extra vacation day to employees who reside and work in specific B.C. locations.
Telework
Telework arrangements are a significant form of flexible work arrangements accessible to employees of the BC Public Service. A separate letter to the tentative agreement clarifies that, although telework arrangements are not an obligation, right or condition of employment but rather are voluntary and at the sole discretion of the Employer, the Employer will update its policy to reflect that decisions related to telework will not be made in a discriminatory or arbitrary manner. This means that unfairly applied telework arrangements can now be grieved.
Excluded positions review
A new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) commits the Employer and Union to jointly review excluded positions (whether encumbered or vacant) to determine if they are appropriately excluded or should be more properly included in the bargaining unit. The intention of this MOA is not to prevent exclusions but to protect bargaining unit inclusions.
Employees who hold positions determined to be properly included in the bargaining unit will be given the option to transfer to the bargaining unit or remain excluded for 5 years with the Employer paying union dues on their behalf during that time.
“Me Too”
A new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) outlines that, if other public sector collective agreements settled within the term of our agreement get a larger compensation increase than our tentative agreement, our compensation increase will be adjusted to match. In addition, this MOA enables major wage redress (a type of retroactive wage increase aimed at correcting historical inequalities in compensation for undervalued workers) for fellow unions in need, while mitigating behind-the-scenes negotiations with the government.
Health and welfare benefits
Doctor’s notes: The Employer may require a doctor’s certificate (a note providing medical evidence of inability to work) when an employee has been absent for 10 consecutive days of work, increased from 6 days (see Appendix 4, 1.4 (1), to ease the load on the medical system.
Counselling: Effective January 1, 2026, the annual counselling benefit increases from $750 to $1000 per person and can be used on a newly extended list of counselling service providers (beyond just Registered Clinical Psychologists, Registered Clinical Counsellors and Recognized Social Workers) (see Article 25, 25.2 (1).
Vision: Effective January 1, 2026, vision care will increase to $400 every 24 months for adults and to $300 every 12 months for dependent children (see Article 25, 25.2 (8).
© Copyright BCGEU 2026. All rights reserved.
BCGEU Privacy Policy
BCGEU Jobs