BC Hydro – Unpaid Overtime

Are you working before and/or after your shift without claiming overtime?  Are you working through your coffee and lunch breaks?  Are you working from home after or before work?

If the answer is yes, you are working overtime without being compensated.  As a result of this practice, many of you are essentially working for free. It can and does compound workload problems because there is no deterrent to keep management from piling more work on you.

The effect of working unpaid overtime is that it reduces your hourly wage and skews the amount of work you can complete which can be used to measure performance.  There is the stress and anxiety associated with unreasonable workloads, the uncompensated time away from your families, and the fear that if you don’t put in unpaid overtime you won’t measure up to those who will.

We can’t fault our members for their dedication and conscientiousness. Our members at BC Hydro are keen to deliver the best possible service to their customers. But the impacts of unpaid overtime are detrimental to your quality of life – both at work and at home.

If you are aware of a situation where MoveUP members are working unpaid overtime (working before, after, or during coffee breaks or lunch time) please contact your job steward.

The job steward’s role is to address the matter with the member directly.  If that does not stop the unpaid overtime, the job steward would then bring the matter to the attention of management and the Union to ensure that members are paid for any overtime they work.

In Solidarity,

Barbara Junker, Union Representative
Tony Geluch, Union Representative