More public workers are expected on the picket lines across B.C. on Tuesday.
The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) says it is launching new picket lines at government buildings in eight more communities on Tuesday.
Among the new picket locations are government offices and other sites in Nanaimo, Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook, Nelson, Fort St. John and Smithers, adding to previous locations in Surrey, Victoria and Vancouver.
There is also a picket line outside the Surrey pretrial centre.
The BCGEU says air-quality concerns due to wildfire smoke in Prince George and Williams Lake mean there will be “virtual pickets” there until further notice.
The union says it represents an additional 1,000 members, totalling more than 4,000 members who have walked off the job so far.
It is asking for an 8.25 per cent hike. The province says it offered a 4.5 per cent increase in wages and cost-of-living increases over two years.
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“At this time, we have prioritized not impacting the general public,” BCGEU president Paul Finch said.
“We’ve prioritized impacting core government services. After a while, if government does not come to the table, that will change.”
B.C. Premier David Eby said on Monday that the province is keen for a deal that is fair to workers and taxpayers.
“Recognizing the fiscal headwinds that the province is facing over the two terms of negotiation, this one and the previous,” he said.
“We’re ensuring that we’ve got a fair deal for workers and we hope to get back to the bargaining table to be able to hammer that out to be creative, to support those workers and to recognize the fiscal times that we’re in as a province.”
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