The union representing 34,000 striking public sector workers says it will enter mediation over a labour dispute that has threatened the delivery of services in the province.
“We’re committed to exploring every option to achieve a fair and respectful agreement for our members,” said B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) president Paul Finch in a release Friday.
The union said the decision follows a request from government on Thursday.
“Mediation represents a next step toward resolving this dispute in a way that respects the vital work our members do every day,” said Finch.
The union said mediation would begin as soon as possible, but workers would continue with pickets across the province during the process.
Its result will be non-binding, meaning any tentative agreement will need to be decided on by a vote by union members. About 34,000 members are part of the bargaining unit that is currently involved in job action, around 25,000 of whom have been actively striking.
The BCGEU is seeking a four per cent general wage increase each year for two years.
BCGEU members began a strike on Sept. 2, which resulted in pickets at government offices and service locations.
Restaurants and bars have been hit especially hard with the shutdown of B.C.’s provincial liquor distribution network.
As the strike wears on, with the two sides in disagreement over appropriate wage increases for a new two-year deal, the union has continued to increase the number of members walking off the job.
This week, the BCGEU said it was coming close to a “near-full walkout,” according to Finch.
‘The strike is having an impact’
All Service B.C. locations were behind pickets as of Wednesday, but those offices will continue to provide essential services for people who rely on it, although timelines may be longer than usual, the province said in a release.
Also this week, the Professional Employees Association said its engineers, geoscientists and mining inspectors are among those now on the picket lines, but some of its essential members will remain on.
In a statement on Friday the province said, “the strike is having an impact on the public, businesses and employees, and government is committed to reaching a fair agreement that works for everyone.”
It confirmed it and the BCGEU had entered mediation with mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers, “in an effort to find a resolution to the current dispute between the parties that has resulted in the public-service strike.”
