Round 20, Bargaining Dispatch XI: BCGEU Announces Tentative Agreement with the Province
October 28, 2025
*** Update: BCGEU Public Service Component ratified their tentative agreement on November 13, 2025 ***
On Sunday, October 26, 2025, the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) announced that its public-service bargaining committee had reached a tentative collective agreement with the provincial government, following eight weeks of job action across British Columbia. Follow the link for details on the tentative agreement, which remains subject to ratification by the BCGEU membership.
If ratified, the settlement—reported to include general wage increases of three percent annually over the four-year life of the contract—is expected to establish the prevailing wage pattern for the remainder of the unionized public sector in the province. In British Columbia, the first major public-sector union to conclude and ratify a collective agreement with the province typically sets a precedent, setting the monetary terms for settlements across the broader public sector. In 2025, more than 450,000 public-sector employees—including members of the FSA—are engaged in collective bargaining with the provincial government.
Public-sector collective bargaining in British Columbia is highly centralized and constrained. Rather than free negotiations between unions and employers, the process is tightly controlled by provincial agencies such as the Public Sector Employers’ Council (PSEC) and, within the post-secondary sector, the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association (PSEA). These bodies define the fiscal parameters within which bargaining must occur, significantly limiting the scope for free and fair contract negotiation.