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District of Sechelt employees, represented by the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) have refused to ratify a proposed collective agreement negotiated between the union and the District.
The bargaining committees for the District and the BCGEU reached a tentative agreement on May 9 and had agreed to recommend the settlement for ratification.
“We understand that 62.5% of the union members voted to reject the settlement agreement, despite it being recommended by their bargaining committee”, said Mayor John Henderson. “During the course of collective bargaining, the District had responded to the Union’s demands and had significantly increased its monetary offer to the employees in order to achieve an agreement.”
The current collective agreement expired December 31, 2012. The tentative agreement recommended a three-year term with wage increases and bonus payments in each year “comparable with settlements in other jurisdictions”, Henderson said.
In response to the rejection of the tentative settlement by the union, Sechelt Council also resolved to reject the terms of the tentative agreement reached between the bargaining committees, but welcomes further discussions with the union and hopes to achieve an amicable settlement that is in the best interests of the District.
