Okanagan braces for potential labor unrest as numerous contracts expire – Okanagan | Globalnews.ca

With so many union contracts due to expire in the coming months, and the rate of inflation at a nearly 40-year high, BC could face major labor unrest.

One of the largest public sector unions is now planning a possible strike after talks with the province broke down.

“We are now stepping up our preparations for workplace action in the event we have to take it,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU).

The BCGEU represents 33,000 public servants affected by the collapse of contract negotiations.

“Probably the best known are your public liquor store, public cannabis store, wildland firefighters, park rangers, conservation officers,” Smith said.

“But it includes all the administrative professionals who work in every ministry office, your BC service offices, social workers, job aid workers. I mean the list is endless.”

Smith said the union is now accelerating preparations for potential labor action.

“We are currently in what are called essential services negotiations,” he said. “It is important to note that essential services under the labor code are very different than jobs that were deemed essential during the course of the pandemic, which is why we are negotiating with the employer.

“There will be some jobs, obviously, some positions that cannot participate in the job action because of the potential risk to human life and human health.”

Other unions in the public service sector, including the BC Teachers’ Union (BCTF), are closely following developments between the BCGEU and the provincial government.

“Make no mistakes. The whole world is watching what’s going on with BCGEU,” said Susan Bauhart, president of the Central Okanagan Teachers Association (COTA).

That’s because the contract between the BCTF, which represents 41,000 public school teachers, and the employer, the BC Public School Employers Association, expired on June 30.

It means negotiations for a new contract will likely begin later this summer.

“The last part of August, and then of course it would continue into September,” Bauhart said.

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“It is going to be a very difficult round for the government,” he said. “It’s not an unfair request to ask to try to keep up with what’s going on.”

Bauhart was referring to an inflation rate of 7.7 percent, which has not been seen in BC since 1983.

Smith agreed, adding that concerns about the rapidly rising cost of living will make their way into the negotiating sessions.

“People are losing purchasing power and I don’t have to tell anyone to look at how expensive it is, groceries, gas, hydro, all that stuff,” Smith said.

Smith also added that workers are expected to push hard for better compensation following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Those are the workers who kept the lights on, the wheels turning, provided all those critical services for people who have been hit so hard by the pandemic,” he said. “They went to work every day, risking their own health or the health of their family, and they have learned their worth.”

Another important contract that will need to be negotiated soon involves nurses.

The BC Nurses Union (BCNU) told Global News that nurses have been out of contract since the end of March.

The BCNU negotiating association will begin negotiations this fall.

But it’s not just public sector workers who negotiate better compensation; thousands of private sector workers find themselves in similar positions.

In BC, some 10,000 workers employed by Loblaws, which owns 28 Superstore locations across the province as well as three distribution warehouses, are currently voting on a new employer contract proposal.

This week’s vote will determine whether or not workers will accept a new collective agreement or issue a strike notice against Loblaws.

The workers are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 247 union.

According to the UFCW press release, union members rejected an initial offer from Loblaw in April and 97 percent of members voted to strike in May.

The ballots will be counted this Friday.