BCGEU faculty members at five colleges have reached five-year tentative agreements under the new Economic Stability Mandate, Finance Minister Michael de Jong announced today.

Highlights of the agreement include:

• More than 1,000 faculty members employed at five colleges — Camosun College, Northern Lights College, Northwest Community College, Okanagan College and Selkirk College — are covered by this compensation template and also have completed local bargaining.
• The five tentative agreements cover a five-year term, from April 1, 2014, through March 31, 2019.

This is the first set of tentative agreements to be reached in the post-secondary sector under the Economic Stability Mandate. Ratification of the local agreements will now get underway and each settlement will be finalized by the board of the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association, the employer bargaining agent for all public colleges, special-purpose teaching universities and institutes in British Columbia.

The government’s Economic Stability Mandate provides public-sector employers with the ability to negotiate longer-term agreements within a fixed fiscal envelope and offers employees an opportunity to participate in the Province’s economic growth. Settlements are expected to be unique between sectors and reflect government’s priorities of having labour stability, affordable service delivery, and a balanced budget.

Details of the agreements will be available once ratification is complete.

Quotes:

Minister of Finance Michael de Jong ─

“These five tentative agreements are significant in that they are the first to be reached in the post-secondary sector under this mandate. Currently, there are nearly 72,000 public-sector employees covered by tentative and ratified agreements negotiated under the Economic Stability Mandate.”

“This is a very positive development that I hope contributes to a strong working relationship between employers and public-sector workers. I hope to see more public-sector employers and unions take advantage of the 2014 mandate.”

Minister of Advanced Education Amrik Virk ─

“Congratulations to both parties on reaching this important milestone in the bargaining process. Upon ratification, the agreement will give the 1,000 faculty members at five colleges the chance to share the benefits of a growing economy and long-term labour peace.”

Quick Facts:

• The new 2014 Economic Stability Mandate applies to all public-sector employers whose collective agreements expired on or after Dec. 31, 2013.
• If the province’s real GDP growth exceeds forecasts over the terms of these agreements, the agreements provide for the sharing of some benefits of that growth with the public sector employees who work on behalf of British Columbians and help make that growth possible.
• Under this proposal, employees would receive a conditional, incremental wage increase equal to half of any percentage point gain in real GDP growth above the Economic Forecast Council’s forecast published in the budget.
• For example if real GDP growth is one percentage point above forecast real GDP growth, then a 0.5% wage increase would result, beyond whatever wage increase had been negotiated in the contract.
• There are ratified agreements in place between the BCGEU and the Public Service, with Community Health, Community Social Services and the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association.

Learn More:

Updated bargaining information is available at: http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/psec/

Media Contacts:

Jamie Edwardson
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Finance
250 356-2821