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5h ago

B.C. Licensed Professionals Move to Full Strike After Talks Collapse

The union says the province refused to improve its 3.5% two-year wage offer.

Members and allies of B.C.'s striking public service workers rally in front of the legislature in Victoria on Oct. 6. The PEA announced Wednesday all 1,800 of its members would be on strike full-time.

Overview

  • The Professional Employees Association says more than 1,600 licensed professionals will join full-time picket lines following the breakdown in negotiations.
  • Union negotiators report the government held to a general wage increase of 3.5% over two years with no new monetary proposals.
  • The dispute has reached its seventh week with about 25,000 BCGEU members off the job across roughly 20 ministries, Crown corporations and agencies.
  • BCGEU says it countered a two-year 5% wage offer with a request for 8%, while the PEA calls this its longest job action in 51 years.
  • Some specialized staff remain designated essential, including hydrologists at the B.C. River Forecast Centre and child and youth psychologists, as Premier David Eby says he hopes to return to talks soon.