BCGEU Reaches Tentative Agreement with Provincial Government After Eight Weeks of Job Action
By Contributor
The BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) has reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government, bringing an end to a historic strike that involved more than 25,000 public service workers and eight weeks of job action across British Columbia. The next step is ratification: all 34,000 members of the public service will now have the opportunity to review and vote on the four-year deal.
BCGEU President Paul Finch says the deal reflects the determination, unity, and resilience of members who stood together to demand fairness and respect.
“This tentative agreement is the result of the incredible strength and solidarity of BCGEU and PEA members across the province,” said Finch. “For eight weeks, they held the line – standing up for themselves, their families, and the public services that make life in B.C. possible. This deal shows that when workers stand together, we can make real progress.”
The agreement was reached on the eighth day of mediation with the government, led by respected mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers. The tentative agreement makes significant progress on key issues such as wages, affordability, and respect for frontline public service workers.
Under the agreement, employees will receive a general wage increase of three per cent per year for four years, along with additional targeted pay adjustments for the lowest paid workers in the public service to address the affordability crisis. It also includes a range of non-monetary improvements and enhanced benefits, including:
- Improved fairness around telework and a modernized contract to reflect today’s workplace realities.
- Stronger job protections, including a new process to review excluded positions and return improperly excluded ones to the bargaining unit.
- A faster grievance tribunal process to resolve disputes more efficiently.
- Improved vision care and counselling benefits to better support mental health and overall wellbeing.
- Established a category of fully remote workers that have unique agreement protections.
While more details will be shared directly with members in the coming days, Finch said the deal represents meaningful movement toward closing the gap between public sector’s wages and the rising cost of living.
“This agreement is a step toward fairness,” Finch added. “It helps ensure that experienced public service workers can afford to stay in their jobs and continue delivering the critical services British Columbians rely on every day.”
While this tentative agreement has been reached, members of the Professional Employees’ Union (PEA) remain on strike. BCGEU members will respect picket lines in solidarity with the striking PEA members, who have yet to reach a fair deal with government. BCGEU and PEA stood shoulder to shoulder with each other throughout the strike and are committed to seeing a successful resolution together.
“The length of this job action illustrates the seriousness of the issues that PEA and BCGEU workers face,” said Melissa Moroz, Executive Director of the Professional Employees Association (PEA). “It’s why we have been united in our resolve to fight for the future of public services in this province. Our solidarity on the picket lines has shown our strength.”
Throughout the strike, the BCGEU maintained essential services and tried to focus job action on government operations in the initial weeks of the strike to minimize disruption to the public. Finch thanked British Columbians for their patience and support throughout the dispute.
“We know this strike has had an impact, and our members never took that decision lightly,” said Finch. “Their commitment was always to strengthen, not disrupt, public services. We deeply appreciate the understanding and solidarity shown by communities across the province.”
The tentative agreement will now be recommended for ratification by the BCGEU bargaining committee. Members will have the final say through a vote in the coming days.
“Our members stood together and proved that collective action works,” Finch said. “This agreement belongs to them. It’s a win for fairness, for public services, and for everyone in British Columbia.”
Next Steps:
- The BCGEU bargaining committee will recommend the agreement for ratification.
- BCGEU members will continue to respect PEA picket lines in solidarity with the striking members.
- Details of the agreement will be released following the completion of the ratification process.
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