The first round of negotiations under the Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate has led to a tentative agreement covering approximately 26,500 public sector employees in British Columbia.

“We respect the work of the public sector employees who help provide people with the services they depend on,” said Carole James, Minister of Finance. “This tentative agreement is the first among 183 that will help us deliver better services to British Columbians, and we look forward to unions and employers continuing to reach freely negotiated agreements.”

The tentative agreement covers 21,800 employees in the B.C. public service who are members of the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU). The BCGEU main agreement also includes 4,200 members working at Liquor Distribution Branch, and just over 480 employees at the BC Pension Corporation.

The Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate supports government’s core priorities of improving the services people count on, making life more affordable, and building a strong, sustainable economy in British Columbia. It also encourages employers and unions find ways to sustain, enhance and modernize the delivery of services that British Columbians rely on.

Agreement details will be available in the coming weeks, when the ratification process for union members is complete for all the agreements.

Quick Facts:

• There are over 422,000 people who work in B.C.’s core public service, Crown corporations and agencies, health and community social services, K-12 education, post-secondary and research universities.
• Of those, more than 326,000 are unionized employees.
• The majority of agreements reached under the 2014 mandate expire in 2019.

Learn More:

For more information, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=53FA2F6F6EE649BF99DA7504391634F9