Administrative staff at BCGEU begin job action

November 4, 2021

Administrative staff at the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), represented by MoveUP, have delivered 72-hour strike notice today after resoundingly rejecting the employer’s final offer vote. As of November 9, workers will be starting job action with the possibility of rolling strikes or a full strike if the impasse continues.

“We are disappointed that the situation has come to this. MoveUP members are the admin staff who work tirelessly behind-the-scenes each and every day to support thousands of BCGEU members across the province. Sadly, our members feel disrespected by their employer, the BCGEU,” said Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President of MoveUP. “Our members know how many people across the province rely on the work that they do every day, and we simply want our work to be recognized for the value that we bring. We simply want to be treated fairly, just as the BCGEU would expect employers to treat their own hard-working members.”

The collective agreement between MoveUP and the BCGEU expired at the end of March 2021. Among the outstanding issues include work-from-home arrangements, wages, benefits, and workload.

“During this pandemic, many unions including the BCGEU and MoveUP, have fought to protect workers and to keep them safe. They fought for fair compensation, reasonable accommodations and respect for members. Our members worked hard during the pandemic to ensure BCGEU staff, leadership and members got the support they needed. We are asking for the same respect,” added Slusarenko. “The BCGEU has a real opportunity to practice what they preach, to walk the talk by making sure that their own staff are provided the things that the BCGEU has spent the last 20 months fighting for.”