Public Sector Bargaining

Public sector bargaining has been conducted under the Public Sector Employers’ Council model since 1994.  Government, via the PSEC Secretariat, sets a bargaining mandate for the public sector, which all public sector employers are statutorily bound to observe.   UNBC, like other employers who are subject to the Public Sector Employers’ Act, must have its bargaining plans approved by the Minister responsible for the Act before substantive negotiations with the union can begin. In addition, the PSEC Secretariat must review and approve all language and costing prior to being tabled, and once a tentative agreement has been reached, PSEC must approve it. 

UNBC bargains under the B.C. government’s Shared Recovery Mandate, which applies to all public sector employers with unionized employees whose collective agreements expire on or after June 30, 2022.

Communicating During Bargaining

The Employer understands and accepts that the Unions are the exclusive bargaining agents for our unionized employees. As such, the Employer must conduct all negotiations with the Unions, and cannot negotiate directly with employees. The Employer is permitted to provide updates on the status of negotiations.