MEMBERS of the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) employed by the B.C. Public Service have ratified an agreement reached in mediation on October 26, 2025, the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday.
The agreement represents approximately 36,000 people working in occupations that provide core government services, such as social workers, employment-assistance workers, biologists, court clerks, sheriffs and correctional officers in public safety, as well as the unionized members of the Liquor Distribution Branch, the B.C. Pension Corporation, Destination B.C. and the Royal B.C. Museum.
Highlights of some terms and conditions reached through the mediation process include targeted market and classification adjustments for low-wage and hard-to-recruit occupations, as well as creation of dedicated remote positions. These changes will help improve and maintain stable service delivery throughout the province.
The four-year term and annual 3% general wage increases included in the BCGEU main agreement will also apply across the broader provincial public-sector negotiations as part of the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate.
As is the case with the framework agreement reached with the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA), the BCGEU main agreement in the public service includes additional increases over and above what will be made available to the rest of the public sector as part of the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate.
Since 2014, public-sector bargaining mandates have allowed enhanced mandates to address unique challenges threatening critical service delivery at specific tables. This has included the low-wage redress mandates in the community health and community social services sectors. In addition, government is extending enhanced mandates in this round to the FBA and the BCGEU main agreement in response to increasing affordability and labour-market pressures facing those tables.
There are more than 593,000 people working across the provincial public sector, including the core B.C. Public Service, Crown corporations, health, community social services, K-12 public education, post-secondary institutions and research universities. Of those people, approximately 452,000 are unionized employees paid under collective agreements or professionals paid through negotiated compensation agreements.
