Bulletin
ICBC – BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and Professional Employees Association (PEA) Strike Update – October 20, 2025
October 20, 2025
To: All MoveUP members at ICBC
Since early September, your union has been working to support the BCGEU and PEA with their strike. Our focus has been to respect their picket lines wherever our members and theirs overlap.
Recent Developments
On October 17, BCGEU announced its Public Service Bargaining Committee has agreed to enter non-binding mediation with the Government of B.C., facilitated by mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers. This means that while both parties will work together to reach a resolution, any tentative agreement will need to be approved by BCGEU members through a majority vote before it becomes final. Job Action will continue through this process.
Current Impact
Our initial focus was the Guildford Corporate Centre and Guildford Driver Licensing Office. More recently, other locations such as 910 Government Street in Victoria and several Service BC Centres have also been affected.
We’ve been in regular contact with members at impacted sites. Most ICBC members will not be directly affected. You can find a regularly updated list of impacted locations and other helpful information here:
https://moveuptogether.ca/psjafaq_icbc/
It’s critical that we all respect picket lines — both during work hours and outside of work. Learn more about the importance of doing so here:
https://moveuptogether.ca/resources/respecting-picket-lines/
Why This Strike Matters
Our colleagues in BCGEU and PEA are fighting for fair wages that keep up with the cost of living so workers like us don’t continue to fall behind.
BCGEU and PEA are fighting for fair wages and working conditions, which affect all public sector workers, including MoveUP members. Key points:
- Government returned to the table on September 29, but its offer was largely unchanged from the one overwhelmingly rejected before job action.
- BCGEU seeks a 4% wage increase per year for two years; government’s current offer is 2%, below inflation.
- Since 2016, overall wages in B.C. have risen 40.6%, while public service wages increased only 27.2% — a 13.4-point gap.
Other priorities include fair telework provisions, updated job evaluation plans, and protection of unionized positions.
If they succeed, it strengthens our position at the bargaining table during our next round.
Solidarity and Support
Strikes are challenging — especially for those walking the lines every day — but they affect us as well, directly or indirectly.
Respecting a picket line is a powerful act of solidarity. It shows support and strengthens their determination to keep fighting.
Solidarity is a two-way relationship. One day, we may need other unions’ support if we face our own job action. Right now, BCGEU and PEA members are leading the way for all of us.
Their fight is our fight.
What they achieve — wage protections, telework rights, and fair job structures — will shape the foundation of our next agreement with ICBC.
Why Strikes Work
Strikes are effective because they are disruptive. They remind employers how essential workers are to any organization.
When other unions and workers respect picket lines, it amplifies that impact — putting additional pressure on the employer to return to the bargaining table.
If You Need Support
If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out:
- Your local MoveUP Job Steward
- Your Vice-President: Dimitri Ossinsky – dossinsky@moveuptogether.ca
- Your Union Representative or MoveUP Office: Visit the ICBC workplace page for contact info.
- MoveUP Office: (604) 299-0378 | reception@moveuptogether.ca
In Closing
By continuing to support and respect BCGEU and PEA members and their picket lines, we are strengthening the foundation for all public sector workers — including ourselves — to secure fairer wages and better working conditions.
In solidarity,
Dimitri Ossinsky – Vice-President – ICBC Bargaining Unit