A strike by B.C. government professional employees is expected to escalate 

October 15,2025

RED FM News Desk

The Professional Employees Association (PEA) says yesterday’s negotiations made it clear that the province was not willing to improve its offer of a 3.5 per cent general wage increase over a two-year agreement. 

An early version of this statement was sent out in error, ahead of an official announcement scheduled for Thursday regarding a major escalation in strike action. 

As a result, more than 1,600 professionals will now be on the picket lines, although some had already joined the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), which began its strike on September 2. According to the PEA, this is the longest job action in the union’s 51-year history, highlighting both the seriousness of the dispute and workers’ frustration at the bargaining table. 

The PEA and BCGEU are separate unions. The PEA represents licensed professionals working for the province, while the BCGEU represents a broader group of public service workers. 

Together, about 27,000 workers are now on strike across the province. In a statement Wednesday, the BCGEU said the two unions are united in urging the provincial government to fairly compensate public service employees whose work keeps B.C. running. 

“This is now the seventh week of job action by public service workers represented by both the BCGEU and the PEA, with over 1,000 PEA members and nearly 25,000 BCGEU members on picket lines across the province,” the statement said. 

PEA members work in various ministries across B.C., including health, the attorney general’s office, mining, and water, land, and resource stewardship. The union has noted that some workers are essential and will remain on the job, such as hydrologists at the B.C. River Forecast Centre and child and youth psychologists with the Ministry of Children and Family Development.