The union representing B.C. government employees says negotiations between the two parties broke down Monday morning.
BC General Employees’ Union in a release says the two parties had been negotiating for three days.
The union put forward a proposal that included cost of living adjustments and wage protection from inflation, while working within the fiscal framework of the government’s most recent wage proposal, according to a release.
BCGEU says the government adopted a “take it or leave it” approach and refused to counter the offer.
“To say we are disappointed is an understatement: despite our best efforts to bridge the gap, government has refused to table a proposal that meets our members’ key demand of cost-of-living protection,” Stephanie Smith, BCGEU president and chair of the Public Service Bargaining Committee said in a release.
“Our members have told us since the beginning of this round of bargaining that they would not ratify a deal which did not address the increasing cost of living.”
The B.C. government says it is confident the two parties will come to an agreement.
“Our government respects the hardworking members of B.C.’s public sector and we believe that agreements will be reached through the collective bargaining process,” the government says in a statement to CHEK News.
“Bargaining is a dynamic process and we all recognize that this round includes even more than the usual challenges. We believe that the parties are committed to reaching negotiated settlements that work for everyone at the table.”
BCGEU says the government’s most recent offer did not meet the needs and priorities the members identified.
There are 33,000 government workers represented by the BCGEU.
“We were surprised that the employer was unwilling to come back to the table with a counteroffer,” said Smith. “Our union’s revised wage proposal is within the monetary framework that government has laid out, and yet the employer was not willing to budge, notwithstanding over $16 billion in unallocated reserves in their most recent fiscal plan.”
The union says it will now work with the Labour Relations Board to define essential service levels, and will be planning job action.
Laura Brougham
