VANCOUVER – Two unions representing post-secondary employees have launched a B.C. Supreme Court challenge of a government bill they call undemocratic.

The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators and the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union want parts of Bill 18 overturned, saying it bans union activists from serving on college, institute and university boards of governors.

BCGEU president Darryl Walker says forcing elected board members to be removed because of their union involvement is an affront to democracy and that the government’s conflict-of-interest reasons for Bill 18 are unfounded.

Cindy Oliver, president of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators, says the two groups met with Advanced Education Minister Naomi Yamamoto to point out the flaws in the legislation, but their input was ignored.

Oliver says they joined the legal fight because their members’ democratic rights have been significantly impacted by the legislation.

She says there’s never been a problem involving faculty-elected positions on the boards of post-secondary institutions when those faculty have also been active in their local union.