Government Licensed Professionals from the BC public service issue strike notice

From professional oversight to emergency response, professionals employed in the public service are critical to the work of the BC government.
August 17, 2022 (Victoria) – The Government Licensed Professionals (GLP) who work for the BC public service will be issuing 72-hour strike notice at noon today. The 1,200 licensed professionals include agrologists, engineers, foresters, geoscientists, pharmacists, psychologists, veterinarians and more. No details of the planned strike action are being released at this time.
The Professional Employees Association (PEA), the union representing the GLP, entered bargaining with the Public Service Agency on April 11, and quickly reached impasse on May 16 when wage proposals failed to address the rising cost of living. Government Licensed Professionals then voted 92% in favour of a strike in June.
“These licensed professionals rebuild bridges and roads, monitor BC’s forests and agriculture, and provide care to the province’s most vulnerable youth,” said Melissa Moroz, Labour Relations Officer with the PEA. “We need their expertise more than ever to help keep the province safe.”
The decision to take job action is not something these scientific experts take lightly. But rising inflation and higher wages in the private sector have made it increasingly challenging to keep professionals in the BC public service.
“It’s time for the BC government to invest in the workers who provide the services that the province relies on,” said Moroz. “These licensed professionals are taking job action because they want to see the cost of living addressed at the bargaining table.”
Inadequate professional capacity in the BC government
In the early 2000s, the BC government sought to aggressively reduce the amount of regulation within government. They set a goal of a one-third reduction of regulation, and alongside that, drastically reduced the number of professionals within the public service. In the resource sector, BC government professionals were reduced by approximately 25%. Across the BC public service, the number of scientific professionals dropped significantly – from 1500 in 2001, to just over 1200 in 2020, despite the province’s growth over the same period from 4 million to 5.15 million residents. This corresponds to a change from 1 BC government professional for every 2,700 BC residents in 2000 to 1 for every 4,100 in 2020.
Issues with staffing levels within BC Ministries are exacerbated by ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified professionals in the BC public service. Key drivers of these challenges include:
- Compensation – When compared with public service jobs at the municipal and federal level, as well as many other provinces and private sector jobs in BC, BC public service professionals are compensated less. PEA members frequently cite this as a reason for their departure from the BC public service.
- Burnout – PEA members report high rates of concern with their ability to meet the mandate of their ministries. This leads to stress and burnout. This burnout is further exacerbated by the conditions faced by members involved in emergency response, as discussed below.
- Position vacancies – Without compensation structures like career laddering in place to allow for career development and progression, PEA members are forced to leave the public service to further their career growth.