B.C. public service strike escalates with overtime ban at liquor warehouses

The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) is intensifying its public service strike, announcing that starting Friday, an overtime ban will be in place at Liquor Distribution Branch warehouses in Delta, Richmond, and Kamloops, as well as at the branch’s head office in Burnaby.

Union officials say the move brings the number of workers engaged in job action to more than 6,000 across the province. Pickets have already been set up outside government offices and other key locations, as part of the second week of escalating action.

The BCGEU, which represents more than 34,000 workers — including firefighters, sheriffs, correctional officers, conservation officers, and administrative staff — is seeking an 8.25 per cent wage increase over two years along with cost-of-living adjustments. Union president Paul Finch says the province has not returned to the bargaining table with a new offer and accuses the Ministry of Finance of misrepresenting the union’s position.

The government has said the BCGEU’s proposal amounts to a 15.75 per cent compensation increase when allowances are included, while its own last offer was a 4.5 per cent increase over two years.

Union leaders say workers are struggling with the rising cost of living and need a fair deal to keep pace with inflation. “The current offer does not meet the needs of workers in this province,” Finch said earlier this week.

The ministry has said it hopes to resume negotiations but must balance the demands of workers with the province’s strained fiscal situation.