MoveUP President Annette Toth has sent the following letter to Premier David Eby and Finance Minister Brenda Bailey affirming MoveUP’s support for the striking BCGEU and PEA members and calling on them to return to the bargaining table with a meaningful offer.
Dear Premier Eby and Minister Bailey,
On behalf of MoveUP and our 14,000 members across British Columbia – including many who work in the public sector at ICBC, BC Hydro, BC Transit, and Capilano University – I am writing you to affirm our union’s support of the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and Professional Employees Association (PEA) and their decisions to take job action.
We are calling on the BC Government to direct the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat to return to the bargaining table immediately with a meaningful offer that adequately addresses the critical issues that those unions have identified, including wage increases that address the affordability crisis public sector workers face in British Columbia.
We fully support the BCGEU and PEA members in their decision to reject the government’s General Wage Increase (GWI) mandate. This was not a decision those workers took lightly. However, government’s approach to public sector bargaining must address the public sector workers’ right to live with dignity so they can continue to serve the citizens of British Columbia.
Our union is poised to commence public sector bargaining at ICBC, BC Hydro, BC Transit and Capilano University. Our members are also prepared to take the same action as the BCGEU and PEA members unless these critical concerns raised by their members – your employees – can be appropriately addressed.
We believe that your government still values public sector workers and the intrinsic value they bring to our communities. We further believe that your government understands that affordability is an issue facing many British Columbian workers. We hope that your actions moving forward will reaffirm our belief that your government truly cares about working people and will fairly compensate them for their efforts.
Sincerely,
Annette Toth
President, MoveUP
