The BCGEU has begun job action in their labour dispute with the province, demanding raises in keeping with the rise in the cost of living. Unions representing B.C.’s teachers, hospital employees and nurses are also poised for difficult contract talks.
To have so many big-ticket public sector labour contracts coming up for renewal after two years of COVID-era spending and during the highest inflation we’ve seen in decades certainly is a perfect storm for negotiators.
It’s true that even without the current spike in inflation, wages haven’t been keeping up with the rising cost of living, especially in Metro Vancouver. Economists, however, are warning against signing new labour contracts that assume rapid inflation will continue into the years ahead. That not only impacts the budgets of these important services we all rely on, but it also leads to higher costs for taxpayers and yet more inflation.
Current and imminent labour talks will certainly be a test of whether the NDP is deserving of its union-friendly reputation, particularly when that butts up against the task of governing.
Here on the North Shore, the 150 Blue Bus drivers and staff are warning of escalated job action if they can’t get a new contract by Sept. 7. It appears the District of West Vancouver has made an offer for an increase, but is otherwise taking a hold-the-line strategy. The rhetoric from the Amalgamated Transit Union is so bellicose, it’s hard to imagine the two sides getting any closer to one another without a full strike.
We have faith that, through the bargaining process, fair contracts will be signed. But whether it’s buying a bottle of wine or getting to work, everyone is going to have to brace for some labour pains ahead.
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