Friday November 14, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 3:53 pm | Updated 5:02 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
After the longest BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) strike in the province’s history, it was announced yesterday that members of the BCGEU who are employed by the B.C. Public Service have ratified an agreement as reached in mediation on October 26, 2025.
The agreement represents approximately 36,000 people working in occupations that provide core government services, such as social workers, employment-assistance workers, biologists, court clerks, sheriffs and correctional officers in public safety, as well as the unionized members of the Liquor Distribution Branch, the B.C. Pension Corporation, Destination B.C. and the Royal BC Museum.
Highlights of some terms and conditions reached through the mediation process include changes that the government says will “help improve and maintain stable service delivery”:
- targeted market and classification adjustments for low-wage and hard-to-recruit occupations,
- creation of dedicated remote positions.
The four-year term and annual 3% general wage increases included in the BCGEU main agreement will also apply across the broader provincial public-sector negotiations as part of the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate.
The 3% per year over four years is higher than was provided for in Budget 2025; the province will have to dip into contingency.
There are more than 593,000 people working across the provincial public sector, including the core B.C. Public Service, Crown corporations, health, community social services, K-12 public education, post-secondary institutions and research universities. Of those people, approximately 452,000 are unionized employees paid under collective agreements or professionals paid through negotiated compensation agreements.
BCGEU comment:
BCGEU members of the public service have voted in favour of ratifying the tentative agreement reached between the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and the provincial government’s Public Service Agency (PSA).
Of all public service members, 79% took part in the vote, and 89.3% of those who voted supported (ratified) the tentative agreement. This marks the official end of a historic eight-week strike by public service workers.
The 89.3% support is much higher than about 53% for the previous agreement a few years ago.
BCGEU President Paul Finch says this agreement would not be possible without the tenacity and solidarity of members who stood together for weeks on end to demand a fair deal.
BCGEU says the agreement represents “meaningful movement toward closing the gap” between public sector wages and the rising cost of living.
Progress is considered to have been been on” wages, affordability, and respect for frontline public service workers”.
Wage increase:
Under the agreement, employees will receive a general wage increase of 3% per year for four years, along with additional targeted pay adjustments for the lowest paid workers in the public service to address the affordability crisis.
This is a significant level for the BC Government after both the Premier and the Finance Minister saying for months that the province’s budget needs to be fair to all British Columbians.
Non-monetary improvements:
The agreement includes a range of non-monetary improvements and enhanced benefits, including:
- Proper classification and evaluation of job duties to ensure that members are fairly compensated for the work they do, with the formation of a joint committee to develop a new, relevant and fair system of classification evaluation to replace the existing Public Service Job Evaluation Plan (PSJEP).
- Stronger job protections, including a new process to review excluded positions and return improperly excluded ones to the bargaining unit.
- A faster grievance tribunal process to resolve disputes more efficiently.
- Improved vision care and counselling benefits to better support mental health and overall wellbeing.
- Established a category of fully remote workers that have unique agreement protections.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: JOBS & EMPLOYMENT | BCGEU