Inflation, 'adversarial culture' in B.C. labour relations landscape could lead to job action
Observers are warning bargaining underway in the public and private sectors could get contentious with skyrocketing inflation, pandemic stressors and a history of clashes between employers and unions in British Columbia.
Even an optimistic union president acknowledged strikes and other job action are on the table as most of the province’s 186 collective agreements in the public sector have already expired.
“We're going to see some really tough talks at bargaining tables in every industry -- public sector, private sector, every part of Canada – as workers try to catch up to the losses they've experienced because of inflation,” said economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work, Jim Stafford.
“We will see all kinds of ways that workers will try to put pressure on their employers and that will include protests, and that will include 'work to rule' or slowdown campaigns."
With the province’s healthcare system “teetering,” medical personnel from nurses to paramedics to technicians to doctors are negotiating government contracts in an atmosphere known for clashes.
“I think the adversarial culture that we have with respect to labour relations in British Columbia is not helpful and it's not the fault of anyone, per se,” said UBC associate professor of employment and health, Christopher McLeod.
“Wages may help to a certain extent with issues around retention, but if the fundamental working conditions don't change you're going to continue to see that exit from the workforce.”
In the private sector, rail workers have already carried out work stoppages in recent months and pro soccer players cancelled a match after refusing to play, while transit workers have gone on strike over wages and benefits.
In this climate, one of B.C.’s biggest unions representing financial workers in the private sector and social services personnel as well as an array of public sector staffers, held a vote late last month that saw a whopping 95 per cent of public service members in favour of strike action.
“This was the biggest vote of its kind we've ever had in our union, and just the process of taking the strike vote did compel the employer to reach out to us,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the British Columbia General Employees Union.
“Of course our goal is always to get a collective agreement, it's not to go on strike but I think our members over the last two-and-half years during this pandemic have really learned their worth and they're now willing to take job action if necessary.”
Government now has a difficult path to try and navigate.
The typical one or two per cent annual cost of living increase is unlikely to fly with workers facing inflation soaring more than 7 per cent, hitting to its highest level in nearly 40 years. The critical staffing shortages in healthcare, food service and virtually every other sector in the wake of the “Great Resignation” also mean the employees are in a strong bargaining position.
But for every one per cent wage increase the public sector negotiates for more than 350,000 workers whose contracts are being renewed, it costs an estimated $400 million to the province’s operating budget. Matching inflation would cost billions each year.
“The government is going to be constrained somewhat in terms of their ability to move in a substantial way,” said McLeod. “So I do think that the bargaining is going to be contentious over the next while."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.