The fifth tentative agreement under the Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate has been reached.

“Government recognizes the incredibly valuable role K-12 support staff fulfil in our school system,” said Carole James, Minister of Finance. “Investing in the people who provide support to our children during their education is an investment in the future of our province.”

On June 14, 2018, the BC Public School Employers’ Association reached a framework agreement with the K-12 Presidents’ Council. The council is comprised of representatives of support staff unions in the sector, with the majority of support staff represented by locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The framework agreement covers about 34,000 support staff in a variety of positions, including custodians, trades and maintenance workers, education assistants, clerical, accounting and information technology.

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 to find ways to sustain, enhance and modernize the delivery of services that British Columbians rely on.

Details of the framework agreement will be available over the coming months when the ratification of this agreement, and locally negotiated agreements, have been completed by individual school districts with their respective local support staff unions.

Quick Facts:

• There are more than 422,000 people 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 about public-sector bargaining, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employers/public-sector-employers/public-sector-bargaining