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"The government wants to extend the two-year wage freeze and won't make an offer to keep up with inflation. So we’re stepping things up with an overtime ban.” - BCGEU President Darryl Walker.
Vancouver (13 Sept. 2012) - The B.C. Government & Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) is stepping up job action in support of its proposals for a new contract for members who work for the B.C. government.
“We’ve conducted four day-long strikes through the summer, including a province-wide strike on September 5. The government isn’t listening. We’ve always been willing to go back to the bargaining table to look for a compromise," said BCGEU President Darryl Walker.
On September 5, interim Finance Minister Shirley Bond, while speaking on a Vancouver radio station, invited the union back to the bargaining table.
“We were heartened by Minister Bond’s invitation. Since then we’ve learned the government has no interest in cooperating with us to get a fair and reasonable deal our members deserve,” said Walker. "The government side indicated there’s no change in its position. It wants to extend the two-year wage freeze and won't make an offer to keep up with inflation. So we’re stepping things up with an overtime ban.”
The overtime ban will take effect on Monday, September 17, 2012.
The BCGEU/NUPGE has recommended two revenue generating proposals, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, that involve increased operating hours for public liquor stores and using deputy sheriffs on traffic duty. During his term as attorney general, now Finance Minister Mike De Jong supported the traffic safety pilot project. A squad of deputy sheriffs has already been trained at the Justice Institute of B.C.
The union represents more than 25,000 members in the B.C. public service. The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2012.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE