The British Columbia General Employees’ Union has voted to ratify an agreement with the provincial government, marking the “official end” to a public sector strike that lasted eight weeks.
The union said in a statement Thursday that 79 per cent of members participated in the vote, and 89 per cent voted in favour of the deal that includes a 3 per cent wage increase each year for four years.
Union president Paul Finch called the deal a “victory” for workers who went on strike for “eight difficult weeks” as they held out for an agreement with the province that addressed the rising cost of living, among other issues.
“Throughout the strike, public service workers were eager to return to their jobs serving the public. They did not take this job action lightly,” Finch said.
“This victory sets a new standard for what workers can achieve when they stand shoulder-to-shoulder. It ensures that public service remains a strong and viable career in B.C.”
The B.C. Finance Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the deal includes “adjustments for low-wage and hard-to-recruit occupations, as well as creation of dedicated remote positions.”
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“These changes will help improve and maintain stable service delivery throughout the province,” it said.
Finch said the agreement was needed to retain experienced public servants, and ensure “critical services” continue to get delivered to British Columbians.
The deal includes pay bumps for the province’s lowest-paid public servants and better vision and mental health benefits, among other “non-monetary” measures.
The union said the strike initially focused on minimizing disruption to public services, and Finch was thankful to British Columbians for their “patience and support” during the job action.
The job action paralyzed the province’s government liquor distribution system, shuttering warehouses and government liquor stores and left private retailers, bars and restaurants with empty shelves as the strike wore on.
Mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers were brought in last month to help resolve the dispute, and picket lines came down when a tentative deal was announced on Oct. 26, after eight days of talks.
At the time, Finch called the job action the “most significant widespread strike” in the last 40 years in B.C. Most of the union’s 34,000 members were walking the picket line by the time the tentative deal was struck.
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