Any thoughts on the likelihood of excluded positions getting in-range salary increases this year?

If I move from Band 1 to Band 2 (one of the few not lateral only opportunities), does the minimum 8% increase also apply? Wondering how excluded role "promotions" work.

Email from BCGEU:

Nurses across B.C. begin first phase of job action 

As you may know, nurses across B.C. have begun the first phase of job action in support of a fair collective agreement. Effective immediately, members of the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) have ceased to perform non-nursing duties and have restricted all non-essential overtime. The job action applies only to those members who work under the NBA agreement.

What does this mean for you? 

If you are not a member of the NBA, but you work at a location with nurses who are members of the NBA, you may be impacted by their job action. As of now, there are no active picket lines up. That means that you can continue to work as usual, and it would not be considered crossing a picket line or ‘scabbing’.

However, we have heard concerns from members about increasing workload as a result of NBA job action. Members are concerned that their workloads are changing because they are being assigned tasks that their nursing colleagues would otherwise be doing. It is your right to request that a manager reprioritize your duties if you find that your workload is no longer manageable. Members are encouraged to abide by the ‘work now, grieve later’ principle – except in circumstances where the work is unsafe. For more information about refusing unsafe work, please see the Refusing Unsafe Work section of the WorkSafe B.C. website.

If you have any questions about how to pursue a workload complaint or if you have any questions about additional duties that may have been assigned to you, please reach out to your steward and review the language in your collective agreement. If you do not know who your stewards are, please contact your area office for a list of stewards at your worksite.  

Solidarity with nurses 

This job action sends a clear message to employers that nurses are no longer willing to accept the status quo. As union workers, we will continue to stand in solidarity with striking nurses.  

We will continue to keep you updated, so please keep an eye on your email.  

Nurses will be picketing at Vancouver General Hospital on Tuesday. My kiddo is currently in a hospital (not Vancouver), what do I do if they picket the hospital my daughter is in? I am supposed to be there with her all day because she has high needs, and I only leave at night once she is asleep. Would I be allowed to cross the picket line to care for her (if they picket at the hospital she is at).

I have been supporting our nurses through our lengthy stay and even more now with the job action, buying baked goods, asking excluded staff to do the things the nurses can’t now (bringing water, food trays etc.). They have all been wonderful and I want to continue to support them, but my kiddo needs me.

My spouse and I both work for the BCPS and we're both enrolled with benefits from Canada Life. When you file claims, the website gives you the option to "coordinate benefits." Let's say we are payable for physio up to 80%, but the physio charges above customary rates. Do we get the leftover reimbursed through our spouses' plan? Does reimbursement through our spouse's plan go to their bank account?

Another scenario is if for vision care, we are entitled to 100% payable, but the glasses go over our limit, but we still have coverage through our spouse. Again, does the leftover amount paid out through our spouses' benefits go to their bank account? I bought contact lenses and new glasses a while ago, and the agent I talked to said that it would, but I'm not sure that it has.

Hey folks,

I recently started a clerk09 job out of desperation. It’s auxiliary and 9 months. I won’t even be able to complete the 1817hrs. They know what they’re doing.

I was previously a GCPE communication co-op student in 2025. I was a stupid student and after the third month I said I like this job but I like working in post secondary education more. For 6 months they kept telling me how our other person in the office was a co-op student and now have been working full time in this office but around July, they said they can’t keep me. And been unemployed since graduation.

I WOULD KILL to get back what I had.

This is a massive downgrade compared to my co-op position. The job, the conditions, the team, flexibility all of it. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

I was just in the market so I know what a shit show it is. But if I somehow pull off an offer mid way, can I leave this position before the contract ends?

What will happen or do I need to suffer through the 9 months contract. Can I leave it? How does that work?

If this does in fact lead us to stronger provincial revenues over the next couple of years, hopefully that improves our gov’s fiscal position by the time our next BCGEU contract is negotiated (2028).

Ideally, that would mean less pressure around bargaining, fairer wage discussions, and hiring freeze lifts.

Hopefully this is the light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult 7 years🤞

Had an interview for a CLK 9 role. I saw the candidate before me wear jeans and a top with a jacket. I wore business casual, but I'm not sure if our dressing is actually considered in the scoring or not. Also, for the reference check, does the hiring panel ask the references from all the candidates? Like, is it also considered for the scoring and do they validate our STAR stories with the references? I'm really not sure if my references remember the stories about what I mentioned during the interview. Can someone please tell me how their experience was? Thanks.

I have one conviction, drink driving from over 11 years ago in a foreign country which lead to me having my license suspended in that country for 13 months.

the conviction is now that countries version of suspended but would potentially still show on a police background check if it was required.

Im wondering if this would be an issue if iv applied for roles in the BC civil service, i dont want to waste my time if its something that would lead me to failing a background check.

I've noticed something that can maybe be confusing.

Sometimes around the workplace the term "rep" is used to refer to a shop steward. A shop steward is a volunteer for the BCGEU.

People (usually stewards) use the term "staff rep." Staff rep refers to Staff Representative. Staff Representatives are full time employees of the BCGEU who support stewards.

I filed a grievance last month that is now with a staff representative. I received correspondence from them stating that the employer has 30 days to respond and to forward any documentation I have to them.

I responded immediately asking if the staff representative needed me to forward everything I had given my shop steward or if they had that already. Never received a response.

After the 30 day deadline for the employer to respond I followed up with the staff representative to see if they had an update and what I can expect going forward. Never got a response to that email either.

Is it normal to be kept in the dark? Can the staff representative and employer have discussions without involving me? I guess I expected at the very least my staff representative would advise me if such conversations occurred? Just wondering if this is normal?

IF the nurses picket:

Wondering if there’s going to be any official direction about crossing picket lines for medical care. Are we supposed to try to avoid picketed buildings and seek care at unpicketed ones? Here in Prince George that’d be impossible, but maybe in larger cities?

I know it’s scabbing to cross a picket line in order to work - is it scabbing to cross them for non-emergent medical care?

I am noticing that there are a small number of jobs listed as “Remote” under “work options” on the job board. When you look at the job details of these postings, it appears that you are still bound to same cancel-able telework agreement. Can anyone tell me if there is any difference between these “remote” postings and “hybrid” jobs that allow 5 days wfh?

Seems to me there is no difference at present but I’m wondering if the new remote classification that was promised may be applied to the ones that are clearly labeled as remote. Has anyone gotten one of these remote-labelled jobs? And if so what did you put as your head office in your telework agreement?

EDIT: Thanks to those who responded. How disappointing but unsurprising that our employer has created a meaningless Remote label while taking no action towards creating a real and meaningful Remote classification

Can you go on an interview while on stiip?

Does anyone know, outside of what is posted in the BCPS website, what the repercussions are if someone didn’t return to their position after the Deferred Salary program? It all seems quite convoluted, which I imagine is not by accident. Union told me to speak with MyHR, but there is a rule around intent and I don’t want to have that conversation with MyHR. When applied for the leave, and when I started it, I had the intention of returning. Now that I’m off, I feel differently.

Curious how this actually works mechanically, for anyone with knowledge of the PSPP rules.

Say someone works in BC Corrections under the public safety designation, then leaves the public service entirely for an extended period — years, not months. Later in life, they rejoin BCPS, but in a different branch under the regular member designation (not public safety), something like working in a liquor store.

A few things I'm trying to understand:

1. Does pension service just "resume," or does a long gap change how it's treated — does it sit untouched until combined with new service, or is there some sort of new formula and separate stream for the added years?
2. Does the best-five-years / highest average salary formula still apply to the original service, or can a gap affect how that's calculated?
3. Since public safety and regular member roles have different accrual and early retirement provisions, how does the plan actually blend the two when someone has both types of service on their record?

I know "call Pension Corp" is probably best to answer some of these questions, but wanted to see if anyone's navigated something like this — especially a public safety-to-regular-member transition after a gap. Appreciate any insight.

I know I cannot work during work hours which I do not plan on anyways. I want to know if it becomes a problem otherwise. I am not in a position where I know insider info.

Thanks!

Anyone able to point me in the right direction for the union agreement? Trying to claim per diems rn and the business manager says I can’t claim more than dinner for a work trip. For reference I worked in a remote area, stayed in government supplied lodging and cooked my own meals. I left the first day at 6 am and didn’t finish until 730 pm. I worked three more days and came home on the last day. Am I entitled to full per diem for the first day?

Will be interesting to see if anything changes

Can anyone help me with this please? I've seen a lot of info on how it works for temporary positions but not much for permanent. Life altering decision. Moving from a Grid 12 step 3 to an 18, where would I land on the 18 pay scale? Thank you and I'm sorry if I missed a post on this!