B.C. government’s professional workers to expand strike after talks break down

VICTORIA — Almost all of British Columbia’s licensed professional workers are going on strike after contract talks broke down this week.

A statement from the Professional Employees Association Wednesday said it was clear during talks one day earlier that the government wasn’t prepared to improve its offer of a general wage increase of 3.5 per cent over a two-year agreement.

The statement was mistakenly sent out early by a public relations firm, ahead of the official announcement of the “major escalation” in strike action at a news conference scheduled for Thursday.

Melissa Moroz, the association’s executive director and its lead negotiator, said in the statement that it is deeply disappointed the government doesn’t recognize the value of its own public servants and they have no choice but to put all the government licensed professionals represented by the association on strike.

It means more than 1,600 professionals will be on the picket lines, although some of its workers had already joined the B.C. General Employees’ Union in its strike action that started Sept. 2.

The statement from the PEA said it’s the longest job action in the union’s 51-year history, which underscores the seriousness of the dispute and the frustration of workers at the bargaining table.

The BCGEU said in a statement Wednesday that the two unions are are united in calling on the B.C. government to respect and fairly compensate public service employees whose work keeps B.C. operating.

“This is now the seventh week of job action by public service workers represented by both the BCGEU and the PEA, with over 1,000 PEA members and nearly 25,000 BCGEU members on picket lines across the province,” the statement said.

“The BCGEU continues to uphold all essential service requirements but warns that government inaction is deepening the impact on communities across the province.”

Professional employee members work across the province in several ministries, including Health, Attorney General, Mining and Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

In a separate statement, B.C. Conservative children and family development critic Rosalyn Bird said the ongoing public service workers strike is disrupting applications and payment processing for those relying on social assistance and disabilities programs.

Bird also criticized the NDP government’s fiscal management, saying the growing debt and deficit levels are hampering B.C.’s ability to serve its residents.

“When a woman, a former child in care, or any ordinary B.C. resident can’t access their monthly life-enabling supports because the system buckled under the weight of government failure, collateral damage among average British Columbians is inevitable,” she said in the statement.

The PEA has previously said that some of its workers are essential and would remain on the job, such as hydrologists with the B.C. River Forecast Centre and child and youth psychologists with the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2025.