British ColumbiaNegotiations will resume Monday between the union representing British Columbia’s public service workers and the province, but picket lines in front of government offices and liquor stores will remain up.Government had an ‘enhanced’ offer to present, BCGEU president tells rallyThe Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 26, 2025 9:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoThe B.C. government says negotiations will resume Monday between the province and the BCGEU. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Negotiations will resume Monday between the union representing British Columbia’s public service workers and the province, but picket lines in front of government offices and liquor stores will remain up. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said that the Public Service Agency “extended an invitation” to the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) on late Thursday to ask them to return to the table and resume negotiations. “We remain committed to achieving a fair agreement that is good for workers and also helps us maintain our fiscal plan,” said Bailey. “I look forward to the parties getting back to the bargaining table so progress can be made towards a negotiated settlement,” she added. Paul Finch, president of the BCGEU, told a rally in front of the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria on Friday that the government reached out to the union saying it had an “enhanced” offer to present. WATCH | Restaurants prepare as BCGEU strike targets alcohol distribution: Restaurants stock up as BCGEU strike targets alcohol distributionRestaurants and venues are bracing for impact as striking BCGEU workers expand picket lines to liquor warehouses and retail stores. James Iranzad, a partner with Gooseneck Hospitality, and Corinne Lea, the founder and CEO of the Rio Theatre, spoke with CBC’s Stephen Quinn about what people in the industry are doing to shore up their reserves.He said he wanted talks to resume over the weekend, but the earliest the employer could start was Monday. “My message to the premier is very simple: let’s end this. Come to the table with the real deal. Let’s get this done.”Premier David Eby told reporters after speaking to delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria that he’s glad both sides are going back to talks, but noted the province’s “financial situation is strained.””We can’t provide the kind of agreement that we provided last time under Premier [John] Horgan to the BCGEU,” said Eby, “And so, we’ve got to sit down, we’ve got to be creative and find ways to support those workers who are really struggling with the cost of daily life.”BCGEU reached a three-year agreement with the province in September 2022 during Horgan’s tenure, giving workers a 3.24 per cent wage increase the first year, 5.5 per cent in the second and 2 per cent in the third year. The agreement also included costs of living adjustments in the last two years. Eby said the province will “work hard” at the bargaining table. “We will definitely be engaging in a back-and-forth at the table with the BCGEU, and I look forward to that conversation,” he said. The union has been escalating its strike action over the past four weeks, with up to 15,000 workers taking part in everything from picketing to overtime bans.About a third of the province’s liquor stores are behind picket lines, along with the liquor and cannabis distribution branch warehouses in Richmond, Delta and Kamloops. The union has been asking for an 8.25 per cent wage increase over two years. Negotiations between the union and its employer broke off in July.
Talks to resume between B.C. government and its public service union
