Negotiations between the BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee and the provincial government’s Public Service Agency (PSA) were to resume for the sixth week of bargaining this morning in Victoria. However, the employer informed your committee that they do not have a revised wage offer, reiterating that the amounts tabled last week were the maximum authorized.
 
We have heard loud and clear from members that a fair wage increase is key to ratifying an agreement. As inflation rises and the cost of living skyrockets, public service workers are falling further behind. And there’s no end in sight. We expect that this week’s inflation numbers from Statistics Canada will show another increase. That means that any wage offer that does not provide cost of living protection (COLA) is essentially a wage cut.  COLA is the bare minimum to ensure that our members and their families can keep up. 
 
Our members deserve a fair and equitable contract that addresses the spiralling cost of living. And government can afford to fund our wage demands without raising taxes—B.C. has the lowest provincial debt (as a percentage of GDP) of any province in Canada. Therefore, without a revised wage proposal from the employer, talks are stalled. 

We remain committed to reaching a deal at the bargaining table and will be available to negotiate until the agreement expires on March 31st. The employer has until then to table a revised wage proposal. In the meantime, we have advised the employer that we need to begin negotiations for essential services. Under the Labour Code, the union and employer must address the issue of which services are essential in the event of a strike or lockout. Should the employer not table a revised wage offer by month end, your committee believes we will need to begin the process of conducting a strike vote to back our demands.
 
Read about the details of last week’s negotiations when monetary packages were exchanged here.
  
Member Portal - My Account Improvements

Our union just released an improved version of the Member Portal to give new and existing members greater ability to manage their personal contact information. The changes consolidate all personal contact information into a new My Account section to enable members to manage multiple emails, phone numbers and personal addresses. All members should ensure that their contact information is current to receive important regular updates during the bargaining process. 


 
In solidarity,

Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Cynthia Mepham-Egli, Component 6 Acting First Vice-Chairperson
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12 First Vice-Chairperson
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff
 
 

UWU/MoveUP