Bulletin
ICBC – Local managers cannot arbitrarily interpret the Ways of Working Policy; We need to put an end to it
November 5, 2026
To: MoveUP members at ICBC
We are making it clear to ICBC Employee Relations that the current habit of a few local managers arbitrarily interpreting the Ways of Working Policy cannot continue.
The lack of consistency is not only frustrating for you, but it should be frustrating as well for the Employer because it is their policy that is being undermined.
Employee Relations has already told us they agree with our general interpretation of how the policy should apply. If it is not being applied correctly by managers, it is their responsibility to step in.
If this trend continues, our only recourse is to flood ICBC with policy grievances. To be frank, that’s a waste of resources for us and for your employer. Employee Relations can, and must, step in right now to tell their local managers to follow the rules they set out.
Let us be clear: our goal is to clarify and enforce what ICBC leadership already committed to. All we are asking is that the Employer honour their own framework consistently across all departments.
What to do if your local manager is applying the rules incorrectly
- Ask for their request in writing. If a manager tells you to make up a missed day due to approved leave, prescribes an arbitrary schedule without proper notice, or asks you to facilitate a holiday change yourself, ask for it in writing via email. If your manager will not put the direction in writing, email them summarizing what they said to you verbally and ask them to respond to confirm or clarify your understanding.
- Know the interpretation. Check your employer’s official FAQ and policy documents and see if it conflicts with what your manager is telling you.
- Contact your job steward or union representative. Reach out with copies of any written correspondence, dates, and the name of the department involved.
We are keeping close track of all the areas where rules are being arbitrarily applied by frontline managers so we can take that directly to Employee Relations. By keeping us informed, it will help put an end to this practice.
No more make-up days
We want to make one thing very clear for everybody because it is something our union has pushed very hard for and we have pushed your employer to change.
“Make-up” days are no longer required. There is no debate here.
If you are away on approved leave (e.g. sick leave, vacation, etc.), you are no longer required to make up missed in-office days. When you have approved time off, you do not need to make up the day in office.
How your frontline managers are incorrectly applying the policy
This is a small sample of what we have heard directly from you on how frontline managers are incorrectly applying the policy. If any of this is happening to you, we need to know right away.
- Managers failing to provide greater than two weeks’ advance notice for statutory holiday schedule changes
- Managers expecting members to coordinate their own in-office shift swaps
- Managers demanding make-up office days for approved absences
- Managers creating hurdles around sick leave (both personal illness and immediate family illness both fall under Article 17 as approved leaves and are authorized absences)
If you are aware of any other examples of the policy being arbitrarily applied that we have not listed here, please let us know right away.
We are doing everything possible to make sure this situation gets corrected as soon as possible. With your support, we will fix this.
In solidarity,
Georgi Bates, Union Representative
Anny Chen, Union Representative
Sara Colliss, Union Representative
Yudon Garie, Union Representative
Ronnie Ho, Union Representative
Jaime Scott, Union Representative
Dora Wong, Union Representative
Trevor Hansen, Senior Union Representative
Brian Martens, Interim Vice-President, ICBC Unit