Slow Going In Talks To Replace Public Sector Contracts
Saturday, March 31, 2012 @ 4:45 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Negotiators for the provincial government and organized labour are extremely busy as contract after contract in the public sector expires.
The B.C. Teachers Federation and public school employers are going to mediation in the wake of deadlocked negotiations to replace a contract that expired in 2011. Those talks, or lack thereof, fell under the government’s 2010 “net zero” mandate, meaning any new contract must not incur a cost increase.
The BCGEU contract is up today and talks with the government covering 25-thousand employees have broken off. The negotiations fall under a new government mandate for 2012 entitled “Co-operative Gains.” In the negotiations the BCGEU seeks an 8 percent increase over two years while the government is offering 3 percent. A strike vote is planned in April.
The contract covering 43-thousand health care workers also expires today. Negotiations involving dozens of unions continue, with the Hospital Employees Union, representing about 85 percent of the workers, heading up those talks. Those workers fall into more than 270 job classifications and include everything from LPNs to cleaning staff, admitting personnel to people in accounts payable. The HEU’s Communications Director, Mike Old, says all of the public sector talks this year fall under the Liberals’ “Co-operative Gains” mandate. He says the government changed the wording from net zero “but it’s really Net Zero 2.0.” Old says while the negotiations, which began February 7th, are continuing, there has been very little progress at the table. However he says none of the unions represented in negotiations has yet lined up strike votes.
Meantime, the health employers and unions have been going through the process of organizing essential services staff in the event some sort of job action were to take place down the road. Old says this preparatory work, which sometimes requires the assistance of the Labour Relations Board, is a part of the cycle of bargaining. He says the essential services designation applies to all work in the hospitals.
Exempt staff with the Northern Health Authority have recently been getting their assignments for the various areas they would be responsible for in the event of union job action.
Communications Director Steve Raper says NH works within the scope of the labour rulings in terms of the preparatory work that would be done in the event of strike action to ensure the continuation of services. He says the authority would want to “ensure that we were meeting the needs of patients within the agreements that we are allowed to do that’s set forth by government.” Raper adds “we’re still in the early stages and are certainly leaving the negotiations between the unions and government to work towards a solution.”
Comments
Not hard to figure this one out. There will be a general stike. This Liberal government only reward their corporate buddies and themselves.
I dont think that Government Employee’s are hard done by. Actually both sides of the dispute are on the Government payroll, so one thing is certain.
The taxpayer will lose.
The question Palopu, is how big will our loss be? There are too many people on the government payroll; it’s not sustainable.
2012 entitled âCo-operative Gains.â
Spin doctors anybody?? Methinks the Minister speaks with forked tongue. ~:-)
BC Liberals starved tax revenue so badly they have no money for schools, hospitals, employees in general …
Yep, it’ll be a general strike eventually.
How many Liberals is that now that are thinking about not running? Interesting that Falcon ran for the leadership and suddenly want to spend more time with family…
He’s not alone on the SS Liberal Titanic
The Federal Budget helped out the tax revenue by eliminating the penny. Hang on to your hats people, that small change means everything will be rounded up to the nickel.
It is unforunate that the people that work for Timmies and the burger places donât have someone to talk for them . They are all being ripped of by greedy employers. One need only look at all the Mac places that have been built in PG. And guess where the money came from, off the backs of their employees that need two or three jobs to survive.
Yes itâs the tax payer that pays for the services provided by the public sector and I suppose there may be some over staffing in some areas. It is a sickness that runs through our entire society. And if its my tax dollars that are providing the funds thatâs OK by me. Its not the wages payed out that are a problem in our governments of to day.
And I tink Palopu you will have to agree with me. Its not the wages that are effecting our communities. Itâs the tax breaks for corporations, In PG its th e airy fairy ideas at City Hall.The provincial Government thatâs using our tax dollars in the larger cities helping them with providing infrastructure money for rapid transit and sports ideas like the Olympics and a greasy roof on BC place. And the list goes on and on.
The people that work for our governments are no different then you and I. They have families and homes to provide for and if they get an 8% increase Iâll stand and cheer them on.
Cheers
faxman: “The question Palopu, is how big will our loss be? There are too many people on the government payroll; it’s not sustainable.”
You got that right.
Retired: “The people that work for our governments are no different then you and I. They have families and homes to provide for and if they get an 8% increase Iâll stand and cheer them on.”
… while you cheerfully fork over more in taxes. The money’s gotta come from somewhere.
“…they have no money for schools, hospitals, employees in general …”
There’s lots of money it’s just being spent in the wrong spots.
All the government systems (eg education, health care, etc.) need a complete overhaul. When’s the last time you went to get your driver’s license renewed? My god! I couldn’t believe how slowly these people were working. It was like watching city workers breast feeding their shovels. And they want a raise?
Some of you are blind or choose to be blind.
The Message was only a fraction of government spending is for wages the rest goes to where I have already tried to explain.
So stop whining and go to work for the government.
Cheers
Retired: “So stop whining and go to work for the government.”
It worked well for Greece. Uh, wait a second.
I did. I worked for them for 30 years.
Cheers
“I did. I worked for them for 30 years.”
30 years? You must have drank a lot of coffee.
“30 years? You must have drank a lot of coffee”
He probably used allot of paper as well. And probably ate some lunches. Maybe attended the odd meeting and probably even had some sick days. You know, the same stuff that everyone who works 30 years does.
I’ll also bet that somewhere along the way he did many things that helped YOU even though you wouldn’t recognize it or even be aware of it.
“I’ll also bet that somewhere along the way he did many things that helped YOU even though you wouldn’t recognize it or even be aware of it. “
Sucking my wallet dry is hardly helping me.
Yes NMg it aways made me feel good that I was helpng people like those that lived in places like Dease Lake or maybe Mezeadin if you happen to know where these places are.
I spent two years at Intercon that were the most boring in my life. You stood around waiting for the sheet to break or some such mondane event.
I never worked as hard in my life as I did as a public servent. And after I retired they asked me to come back for summer relief only to go back to work full time.
I loved my work and to be able to help those that lived in isolated areas and had no other choice but to accept what I could give And you will never be able to convince me that I was just waiting for pay day.
Most people have a complete misconception as to the services that are provided by government. At least thats the waymit was in my years of service.
Cheers
I worked with the department of hiways in Haines Junction Yukon for 5 years as a heavy duty mech. When I was there I worked in Destruction Bay and Mule Creek. I was young then and I can tell you that working the three of these grader stations kept me from the coffee pot. I was working for the government of the Yukon and it was the buisiest time of my working career.
Never got over to Haines Junction. But tossed up a few beers at Watson Lake before #37 opened to Kitwanga. Made number of trips over the Alaska Highway from PG on our way down to Goodhope Lake and Dease.
I hear you. I know the guys that worked for BC highway when it was still in existance didnt sit around and drank coffe they werem always on the road providing safe roads for the publics use.
Cheers
Thanks for the posts Retired 02 and Surefire. I think we need to hear from more people who are proud of the work they did as public servants and what that work meant to the people and communities they served.
The BC government is trying to get more with less by putting patients, children, elderly and workers at risk. The BCNU, HEU, BCGEU and all the rest need to go to minimum staffing in order to send a message to the BC government. The government is saying NET ZERO for all so its time to walk out and not put up with the bullying. BC Hydo, BC Ferries and gas are all going up April 1 so lets send a message. The BC liberals are bullies and make nothing but money of all of us. Why do we put up with that sort of behaviour. The courts cant fine every union member in BC so stick it to them and take a stand against union busting and ZERO raises. The government can contract out housekeeping and other vital services to cheaper companies who only hire the bare minimum amount of staff. Teachers, nurses, housekeepers, food services, and all other public sector jobs are getting the big fat NOTHING in the new contracts. I was a BCGEU member until 2006 and the same staff that I worked with have only gone up a whole dollar since 2006, yet the cost of living has sky rocketed. Do the math folks.
Average wage of HEU employee in Victoria is 17 per hour. Not enough as they made more in the 80’s when a person could buy a house for 100,000
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