Five agreements have been ratified by local unions, their institutions and the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association board under government’s Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate.

The ratifications complete the process begun following the November 2018 BCGEU Faculty Common Agreement Memorandum of Settlement, which began the negotiations between the local unions representing vocational faculty and the five institutions. These faculty work as instructors, assistant instructors and technical staff at these colleges throughout B.C.

The agreements focus on improving services for people and ensuring fair and affordable compensation, and include:

• a three-year term of April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2022;
• general wage increases of 2% per year;
• Northern Lights College and BCGEU Local 710, representing 199 members, negotiated to establish a centre of excellence for teaching and learning to strengthen instructional practices across all programs through peer-mentoring, workshops and seminars, as well as increasing learning support for all students using tools, like accessible tutorial services for writing and math;
• Camosun College and BCGEU Local 701, representing 164 members, negotiated to establish a fund to support the development of online, distributed and blended courses, as well as instructor and student support initiatives designed to increase access to improve learning outcomes; and
• Coast Mountain College and BCGEU Local 712, representing 155 members, Selkirk College and BCGEU Local 709, representing 138 members, and Okanagan College and BCGEU Local 707, representing 349 members, each negotiated to establish a fund to provide support to faculty, either individually or as groups, to plan and undertake innovative projects that lead to improvements in the student experience and program sustainability.

The Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate supports government’s commitment to improve the services people count on, make life more affordable and invest in sustainable economic growth. The mandate is consistent with B.C.’s commitment to balanced budgets and sound fiscal management. Currently, there are more than 217,000 unionized public-sector employees covered by tentative or ratified agreements reached under the mandate.

Learn More:

Public sector bargaining in B.C.: www.gov.bc.ca/psecbargaining