Update from BCGEU President Paul Finch

BCGEU President Paul Finch – who also serves as Chair of the Public Service Bargaining Committee – has released a new video update, providing an overview of the current state of labour relations and key issues affecting members working in the public service. 

In the update, Paul addresses ongoing concerns about lateral-only hiring, which raises several issues, including limiting members' access to promotional opportunities. We are currently conducting a legal analysis of this issue. 

Other topics Paul covers include: 

• Recent layoffs, and how our union is closely monitoring the situation and advocating to protect members 
• The rollout of Article 29 training, which supports labour-management meetings and helps ensure members' rights are maintained and defended in the workplace. 
• How the introduction of direct sales in the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) raises concerns that this shift, driven by declining revenues, may further reduce revenue for the province. 
• Progress on bargaining implementation, including outstanding retroactive pay. Paul encourages members who have not yet received their retro pay to file a grievance. 
• An update on ongoing work to develop a new job evaluation plan and the implementation of a rapid grievance process. 

Final Memorandum of Settlement Posted

 Your bargaining committee is pleased to share the final version of the Memorandum of Settlement (MOS), which is now available here and on the BCGEU website. 

 
We have been working hard to finalize the agreement language after last fall's ratification. This means making sure all the changes we negotiated are included in the new collective agreement. 

To do this, we carefully reviewed the settlement in detail and integrated the new provisions into the existing agreement. In the coming weeks, we expect to formally sign the new collective agreement and post it on the BCGEU website. Once it is available, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access both the main agreement and your component agreement. 

As you know, our new collective agreement came into effect on April 1, 2025 and spans a four-year term, expiring March 31, 2029. 

We are proud of what we have achieved for over 34,000 public service members. These historic gains were only possible because public service workers like you stood together with strength and solidarity. Thank you for the support that made these wins possible throughout this round of bargaining.

In solidarity, 

Your Public Service Bargaining Committee

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Middlemiss, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Sebastian Kallos, Component 20 Vice-President
Linsay Buss, Lead Negotiator
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP