34,000 members of BC General Employees' Union engaged in job action
Safety is at the forefront of the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) strike, with workers hitting the picket lines at key government sites across British Columbia this week. The strike began Tuesday, the day after labour day, and the union has escalated job action with each passing day, drawing national attention.
“A lot of our members are critical to ensuring the health and safety of British Columbians, whether that’s correctional officers, wildland firefighters, conservation officers, sheriffs, probation officers, or social workers,” says Paul Finch, BCGEU president. “There’s more positions than I can name… not to mention all the environmental and geographic operations.”
Safety-sensitive roles at risk
The union’s job action affects more than 34,000 direct government public service workers, many of whom occupy safety-sensitive positions. Finch highlights wildland firefighters as an example of a safety-critical role that he claims isn’t properly compensated. “The classification plan does not recognise the expertise required for wildland firefighters when they take on Incident Command roles,” he explains. Finch says they don’t receive appropriate compensation for taking on a leadership role during a large wildfire. “That’s an incredibly sensitive role… we want to ensure that role is being recognised, that people are incentivised to take on the incident commander role, which is an incredibly important thing in a large fire.”
Finch says that’s just one example among many different professions that impact public safety and occupational health and safety. “Public service workers fight fires, staff emergency lines, and care for our most vulnerable. But these workers are facing an affordability crisis.”
Wage increases and negotiation stalemate
Negotiations between the BCGEU and the provincial government’s Public Service Agency began in January 2025 but reached an impasse after the collective agreement expired on March 31. The union’s latest proposal calls for a two-year contract with a 4% wage increase in the first year and 4.25% in the second. The government’s last offer stands at 1.5% and 2% over the same period. “Government has refused to come to the table with a compensation offer that reflects the cost of living in BC, and it’s less than inflation,” Finch says. “Our members voted overwhelmingly at 93% to reject that offer.”
Ongoing job action and the path forward
Finch says job action will continue to escalate until the government brings a fair offer to the table.
