Nearly 25,000 BCGEU members are now on strike across 431 overnment sites in B.C.

“ We waited quite a while to take them out. Unfortunately, we were left with no choice.” – Paul Finch President, BC General Employees’ Union

With Service BC workers joining the picket line, residents will not be able to access services such as driver’s licensing, income and disability assistance, hunting and fishing licenses, identification verification, and payments for B.C. traffic tickets, as well as student loans and court fines.

UNBC Political Science professor Jason Morris says that the union may have significantly impacted the strike by requesting Service BC workers to join.

“Other areas we might fear to be lost, such as health care workers, could be done separately. Social workers who do child protection would be considered essential services. But it’s just all the day-to-day kind of nuisances that can really add up to politically embarrass the government and frustrate citizens.” – Jason Morris, UNBC Associate Professor, Political Science

While the public struggles with the ongoing strike, the next move may be in the government’s court.

“ The tactic it’s trying to play is to essentially hope that the other side, the workers, accept a more modest offer. The politics involved is that the provincial government knows it’s facing a very high deficit, and even a small increase in public sector wages and benefits isn’t just a one-time addition to the government’s expenditures. It’s every single year from here on in.” – Jason Morris, UNBC Associate Professor, Political Science

The union says a total of 431 provincial government work sites are now behind picket lines as the weeks-long labour dispute persists, and the union push for higher compensation.

Email: Dave.Branco@pattisonmedia.com

TikTok: @DaveBrancoVJ

by Dave Branco

Nearly 25,000 BCGEU members are now on strike across 431 overnment sites in B.C.

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