Negotiators Enter Final Week Before June 30 Deadline

A total of 123 labour agreements have been reached this year and 14 tables remain as negotiators enter the last five days of bargaining before the June 30 deadline for incentive payments.

VICTORIA – A total of 123 labour agreements have been reached this year and 14 tables remain as negotiators enter the last five days of bargaining before the June 30 deadline for incentive payments, Finance Minister Carole Taylor announced today.
 
“Negotiators on both sides of the table have put in long hours, often through nights and weekends, to find common ground and reach agreements well before their contracts expired,” said Taylor. “The fact that there are now only 14 tables left with a week to go speaks to everyone’s commitment to agreements that are fair and respectful to workers, employers and taxpayers.”
           
There were 82 contracts, covering more than 70,000 employees, set to expire by June 30. To date, 68 agreements for more than 25,000 employees have been reached, including 11 college support staff contracts, one Queen’s Printer agreement and 56 deals for K-12 support staff.

This most recent round builds on the 55 contracts (230,000 employees) reached prior to March 31. All agreements to date extend four years or longer and general wage increases range between eight and 14 per cent, and vary according to labour market conditions in each sector.

“Half of the Province’s budget goes into the wages and benefits for British Columbia’s 308,000 public sector employees,” said Taylor. “Reaching agreements before they expire and reaching four-year contracts promotes stability and certainty in our fiscal plans, which helps us to improve programs and services to British Columbians.”

“Negotiators have reached agreement at more than 80 per cent of the 69 tables in the K-12 support staff sector which is good news for all British Columbians who use our public school system,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “Almost half of these have been ratified.”

The remaining agreements break down to one covering 40,300 K-12 teachers and 13 for 4,700 K-12 support staff, to be finalized by June 30 in order for these employees to have access to the early signing incentive.

A further 9,000 employees are under 18 contracts that expire after June 30, 2006.
 
Updated bargaining information is available at www.negotiatingframework.com.