Another union representing B.C. public service workers issues strike notice
A union representing B.C. government workers – including veterinarians, engineers and pharmacists – has issued a strike notice.
The Professional Employees Association (PEA) is the union that represents the Government Licensed Professionals (GLP) group, which has 1,200 members who work in B.C. public services.
The union had been negotiating with the B.C. Public Service Agency since April, and in June about 92 per cent of members voted in favour of striking.
On Wednesday at noon, the GLP issued a 72-hour strike notice, though details of what that job action could entail have not yet been made public.
"These licensed professionals rebuild bridges and roads, monitor B.C.’s forests and agriculture, and provide care to the province’s most vulnerable youth," said Melissa Moroz, labour relations officer with the PEA, in a statement.
"We need their expertise more than ever to help keep the province safe," she said.
The union says one of the biggest concerns its members has is compensation. The PEA says members have long cited salaries as a reason why workers leave the public service sector.
The union says staff burnout and lack of position vacancies also has members looking to leave public service "to further their career growth."
The PEA's announcement comes on the heels of the British Columbia General Employees' Union's (BCGEU) recent strike action.
On Saturday, the BCGEU, which represents roughly 33,000 members, issued a strike notice, and that job action started Monday.
On Monday, picket lines were set up at four B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch wholesale and distribution centres. The strike is expected to affect liquor and cannabis stores across the province, with consumers likely seeing impacts on store shelves this week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.