BCGEU talks break down

VICTORIA — Contract talks have broken down between the BC General Employees’ union (BCGEU) and the B.C. government’s Public Service Agency (PSA).

The BCGEU say they developed a creative proposal last week that included cost of living adjustments and wage protection from inflation, while working within the fiscal framework of the government’s most recent wage proposal. They say the government refused to counter the union’s offer.

“To say we are disappointed is an understatement: despite our best efforts to bridge the gap, government has refused to table a proposal that meets our members’ key demand of cost-of-living protection,” said BCGEU President Stephanie Smith. “Our members have told us since the beginning of this round of bargaining that they would not ratify a deal which did not address the increasing cost of living.”

The BCGEU says the government’s revised wage proposal would result “in what amounts to a wage cut.”