National

Public service workers in B.C. to begin job action

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Aug, 2022 08:09 AM

BURNABY, B.C. - The British Columbia General Employees' Union says it will set up picket lines at four BC Liquor Distribution Branch wholesale and distribution centres as it begins targeted job action.

The union, which represents about 33,000 public-service workers across B.C., issued strike notice Friday and is to be in a legal strike position by this afternoon.

It says picket lines will go up at 3:30 p.m., outside liquor distribution centres in Delta, Richmond and Kamloops, as well as the wholesale customer centre in Victoria.

A statement from the union says retail liquor and cannabis stores are not part of this job action, but the cannabis division of the Burnaby customer care centre is included, although a picket line won't be set up there.

Union president Stephanie Smith has said wage protection is the top concern of her members as inflation climbs dramatically.

Thank you for your #solidarity ✊🏻 #bclab #canlab #bcpoli https://t.co/RuPUhP3Vfw
— Stephanie Smith (@steph_smith303) August 15, 2022

The contract between the BCGEU and the Public Service Agency expired April 1 and there have been sporadic talks since April 6, but the union rejected an invitation from the agency for another meeting last week, saying it would "not be fruitful."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Province launches preparedness plan for heat events, heat alert

Temperatures surpassed 40 C for days in last summer's so-called heat dome in B.C., resulting in almost 600 heat-related deaths, most of them elderly and vulnerable people living in buildings without air conditioning.

Province launches preparedness plan for heat events, heat alert

First monkeypox case detected in B.C.

The centre says its laboratory has confirmed the infection in a resident of Vancouver, but it is awaiting further confirmation by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. It says in a statement that Vancouver Coastal Health is conducting public health followup on the case.

First monkeypox case detected in B.C.

Longtime northern B.C. MLA Jack Weisgerber dies

Jack Weisgerber, who was energy, mines and petroleum resources minister in the Social Credit government of former Premier Bill Vander Zalm, and was B.C.'s first minister of native affairs, was 81 years old.

Longtime northern B.C. MLA Jack Weisgerber dies

Trudeau heads south as Americas confront realities

As a cornerstone of Canada's economic growth, federal immigration policy strikes a delicate balance between economic, humanitarian and labour-policy priorities, all the while preserving public buy-in to keep the ever-present political dangers at bay, Selee said.

Trudeau heads south as Americas confront realities

Evacuations in northwest B.C., as rivers rise

Flood watches were posted Sunday for the Dean River in the Fraser Plateau east of Bella Coola and for the Liard River and its tributaries around the northeastern B.C. community of Fort Nelson and along Highway 97 toward Watson Lake.

Evacuations in northwest B.C., as rivers rise

B.C. wildfire season slow to kindle, says expert

Wildfires last year destroyed most the village of Lytton and forced almost 200 evacuation orders during a near-record season where 1,610 wildfires charred 8,682 square kilometres of land, primarily in southern and southeastern B.C.