Skip to content

Union optimistic about BCIT mediation after strike vote

B.C. Institute of Technology vocational instructors are poised for a strike, but union officials are optimistic it won’t come to that. The B.C.
BCIT

B.C. Institute of Technology vocational instructors are poised for a strike, but union officials are optimistic it won’t come to that.

The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union announced last week that BCGEU trades and computer science instructors had voted 90 per cent in favour of a strike if a fair settlement couldn’t be reached with the institute.

The instructors’ collective agreement expired more than a year ago, and issues still on the bargaining table include salaries, health and welfare benefits, contact hours and intellectual property rights, according to a union press release.

Negotiations have not yet affected classes or services at the technical institute, and even if a strike became necessary, BCGEU staff representative Frank Greenlay told the NOW it would be “a ways off.”

The union and employer have agreed to mediation, with talks scheduled for May 12 and 13.

“There won’t be any activity prior to that,” Greenlay said.

He added he was optimistic about the instructors and employer reaching a deal with the help of veteran B.C. Labour Relations Board mediator Grant McArthur.

“He’s been at the board for a while,” Greenlay said.