Image Credit: Cariboo Regional District

By James Peters

Labour Strife

BCGEU members reject Cariboo Regional District’s ‘final offer,’ begin limited job action

May 10, 2024 | 2:44 PM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — The labour dispute between the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and its unionized employees is getting nasty.

In voting this week, the employees, members of the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), rejected the district’s ‘final offer,’ which was put forward in the form of a direct vote, meaning it bypassed the union’s bargaining committee and went directly to members.

In a news release, the CRD says its offer included an 11 per cent wage increase over three years — 5 per cent this year and 3 per cent each of the two following years.

“We are disappointed with the result, but now we also know that our employees had a chance to accept or reject the most recent offer on the floor,” said CRD CAO Murray Daly. “Obviously this vote didn’t go the way we hoped it would, and we will need to wait and see what BCGEU will do with this result. We will continue advocating for taxpayers in negotiating a fair deal that provides certainty on the cost of our services going forward.”

The employees are in position to strike as of Thursday morning (May 9). In its own news release, the union says it has started limited job action in the form of an overtime ban.

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BCGEU Treasurer Paul Finch says members are concerned about low wages exacerbating recruitment and retention problems.

“How can our members in the Emergency Operation Centre keep their communities safe if they don’t have proper staffing?” asked Finch. “This work is stressful enough – being denied vital resources to do the work doesn’t help.”

The CRD has closed its libraries, saying the move was made ‘in anticipation’ of a BCGEU walkout. The union counters it is not picketing any services and its employees are still coming to work.

While the district says it is not aware of the union’s future plans, the union says it will continue to try to bargain, “but if the district is unwilling to offer a fair deal, members may choose to advance their strike action with picketing in the future.”