The B.C. General Employees' Union says it will recommend that its members vote to accept a tentative deal reached with the provincial government to bring an end to strike action, while a union that's been striking alongside them says its picket lines are coming down.
The BCGEU said in a statement Sunday that its agreement must be ratified by its 34,000 members in a vote on the four-year deal, reached on the eighth day of mediated talks between the union and the provincial government.
The union said the deal includes better wages and addresses other big-ticket issues at the heart of the dispute that led to thousands of workers walking picket lines for the past eight weeks.
"The tentative agreement makes significant progress on key issues such as wages, affordability, and respect for front line public service workers," the statement said.
The union said the agreement includes a general wage increase of three per cent a year for four years, and benefits related to telework, job protections and health care.
Union president Paul Finch said the deal is a "step toward fairness" and will help retain experienced workers while addressing the "gap" between workers' pay and rising living costs.
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, said the same general wage increases and other key proposals that were agreed to by negotiators for the BC General Employees’ Union 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.
“Our members have shown incredible resolve."
The PEA entered bargaining with the 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.
Finch said the deal for the BCGEU is a "win for fairness," and will be put to a membership vote in the coming days, and more details about the agreement will be revealed "following the completion of the ratification process."
Remarks from Finch were also included in the PEA news release, where he commended the solidarity between the two labour groups.
"This shared determination has strengthened the entire labour movement and shown that when workers unite, we can achieve meaningful progress for everyone,” Finch said in the statement.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
