Modernized Estimator Trainee Program

ICBC and MoveUP have come to an agreement that modernizes the Estimator Trainee Program that has been left unused for many years. The new program will make a career as an Estimator more accessible to our existing members at ICBC and will help to alleviate some of the workload burdens faced by staff.

The significant changes to the previous Estimator Trainee program include:

• Reduces the time as a trainee from 24 months to 12 months;
• Salary progressions have been corrected to ensure no one is disadvantaged;
• Training will be accessible in areas outside the lower mainland, reducing impact to families and removing geographic barriers.

Over the last 16 years we have watched a steady decline in the number of Estimators at ICBC. It is no surprise to any of our members that, as the number of Estimators has declined, the costs of vehicle repairs have risen. It has been our opinion that the lack of staff has contributed directly to this increase. We are encouraged that ICBC is working with MoveUP to find solutions to the rising cost of repairs as well as tackling the crushing workload associated with not enough staff and the increased number of claims.

Our sincere thanks to all of the estimators across the province who kept speaking up about what they saw as a culture of overbilling by body shops. It is directly due to your persistence that we are starting to see some real changes at ICBC. Hiring more estimators, will help ensure that the money spent by ICBC on vehicle repairs gets back to being fair and reasonable.

The revised LOU can be viewed here.

In solidarity,