bcgeu reaches tentative deal with provincial government
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bcgeu members walk the picket line outside the b.c. liquor store at broadway and lillooet streets in vancouver on oct. 8, 2025.
jason payne
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the b.c. general employees’ union has reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government, with workers to vote on a deal offering a 12 per cent wage hike over the next four years.
the agreement was reached on early sunday, the eighth day of mediation with the government, led by mediators vince ready and amanda rogers.
according to the union, under the agreement employees will receive a general wage increase of three per cent for four years, stronger job protections, a faster grievance tribunal process to resolve disputes, plus improved vision care and counselling benefits.
the deal also includes a review of excluded union positions to see whether they should return to the union and the creation of a category of fully remote workers that have unique agreement protections.
it is not known whether workers have been offered a signing bonus.
bcgeu president paul finch said the strike involved more than 25,000 non-essential public service workers and eight weeks of job action across the province.
it led to the shutdown of all provincial liquor stores, partially closed public attractions such as the royal b.c. museum, and led to delays for post-secondary students and former youth in care receiving financial support.
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“the next step is ratification. all 34,000 (bcgeu) members of the public service will now have the opportunity to review and vote on the four-year deal,” finch said.
a date has not been set for the ratification vote.
prior to mediation, the bcgeu was willing to settle for a wage increase of eight per cent over two years, while the provincial government had offered a five per cent raise over two years.
meanwhile, members of the professional employees association are still on strike, but the union announced it will take down all picket lines monday as it prepares to resume negotiations with the government.
in a statement sunday the union, which represents licensed professionals that work for the government, said the same general wage increases and other key proposals that were agreed to by negotiators for the bcgeu have been extended to the pea.
the statement said the union will return to the bargaining table to negotiate the remainder of the outstanding terms in order to reach a full tentative agreement.
“we are suspending picket lines to allow bargaining to resume after making progress today on a number of the union’s key priorities,” melissa moroz, executive director of the pea and lead negotiator, said in the union’s statement.
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“our members have shown incredible resolve.”
the pea entered bargaining with the b.c. public service agency on may 27, and the union said more than 1,600 members were on strike since job action began in early september, including agrologists, engineers, foresters, geoscientists, lawyers, pharmacists, veterinarians.
talks between that union and the b.c. government had broken down earlier this month after the union said the government wasn’t prepared to improve its offer of a general wage increase of 3.5 per cent over a two-year agreement.
with a file from canadian press
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