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2mo ago

BCGEU Escalates Job Action With Overtime Ban at Liquor Warehouses

The move intensifies a wage standoff, with the union seeking 8.25% over two years versus a government offer averaging 4.5%.

Members of the British Columbia General Employees' Union picket outside a B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch facility, in Delta, B.C., on Monday, August 15, 2022. The BCGEU, which represents approximately 33,000 public-service workers across B.C., issued strike notice last Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Members of the British Columbia General Employees' Union clap as union President Paul Finch speaks, outside an ICBC driver licensing office, in Surrey, B.C., Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. The union issued 72-hour strike notice following a strike authorization vote in which 92.7% of members voted in favour of job action. Public service members began strike action on September 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Striking BCGEU workers on a picket line at the Surrey Pretrial Centre in Surrey, Sept 9, 2025.

Overview

  • An overtime ban now covers Liquor Distribution Branch facilities in Delta, Richmond, Kamloops and the head office in Burnaby, pushing active job action to more than 6,000 workers.
  • The union says the province has not returned to bargaining with a new proposal and accuses the Ministry of Finance of mischaracterizing its wage position.
  • Government officials outline a 3.5% general increase over two years plus an extra 1% targeted to lower‑income and longer‑service employees, which they say averages 4.5%.
  • The job action, now in its second week with pickets at 22 sites, has prompted warnings from union leaders that further escalation could reach key services under essential-service rules.
  • Restaurant operators report heightened anxiety over potential liquor distribution slowdowns, though industry representatives expect only limited immediate impact from the overtime curbs.