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Mediation starts for government workers in B.C.
Vancouver (14 June 2012) - Following a request from the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE), the B.C. Labour Relations Board (LRB) has appointed a mediator to assist in negotiations with the B.C. government.
Debbie Cameron, Director of Mediation at the LRB, will begin mediating the negotiations on June 12 with more sessions following on June 13 and 15.
Mediation follows three days of bargaining last week in Victoria that saw little progress.
“We are still far apart on substantive issues,” says BCGEU President Darryl Walker. “We are committed to working with the mediator so we can narrow the differences and reach a fair and reasonable agreement.”
In May, BCGEU/NUPGE members voted 82 per cent in favour of job action to back the union's contract proposals.
“We will exhaust all options before initiating job action. If mediation fails to produce an agreement, job action will occur,” says Walker.
The BCGEU/NUPGE and the B.C. government have been negotiating since January 10. Members identified wage increases, job security and benefits as priorities.
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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