Government workers in B.C. walk off the job

400 BCGEU members in 5 communities hit the picket lines

More than 400 British Columbia government workers in Prince George, Dawson Creek, Cranbrook, Nelson and Burns Lake have walked off the job in an effort to pressure the government into revisiting stalled contract negotiations.

The union’s 25,000 members have been without a contract since March, according to the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU). This is the third time the union has been on strike this summer as it looks to reach a new collective agreement with the government.

The BCGEU is seeking wage increases over two years: 3.5 per cent in the first year and a cost-of-living increase in the second year. Negotiations were stalled after the union rejected the government's offer of a 3.5-per-cent wage increase over two years.

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