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

British ColumbiaA statement from the Professional Employees Association says it was clear during talks on Tuesday 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.More than 1,600 professionals will be on picket lines — joining the thousands of BCGEU membersThe Canadian Press · Posted: Oct 15, 2025 5:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 35 minutes agoProfessional Employees Association (PEA) workers are on strike alongside members of the BCGEU, with many picket lines alongside or in proximity to each other in downtown Victoria. (Emily Fagan/CBC)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 (PEA) says it was clear during talks on Tuesday 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, says 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. A striking worker represented by the Professional Employees Association pickets outside an ICBC driver licensing office in Surrey, B.C., on Sept. 2, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)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 (BCGEU) in its strike action that started Sept. 2. The PEA and BCGEU are two different unions. The PEA represents licensed professionals who work for the province, while the BCGEU represents a number of public service workers. Between the two, there are now about 27,000 workers on strike throughout the province.The statement from the PEA says 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 association’s members work across the province in several ministries, including health, attorney general, mining and water, land and resource stewardship. The union 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. With files from CBC News