Media Advisory: Professional Employees Association to announce major strike escalation 

/in ,

Media Advisory: Professional Employees Association to announce major strike escalation 

October 15, 2025 (Victoria) – Melissa Moroz, Executive Director of the Professional Employees Associations (PEA) will be available to media on Thursday, October 16 to announce a major job action escalation for the union. She will be joined by Paul Finch, BC General Employees’ President, and Sussanne Skidmore, BC Federation of Labour President.  

Details 

Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Who: Melissa Moroz (PEA), Paul Finch (BCGEU), and Sussanne Skidmore (BCFED)
Location: 525 and 545 Superior Street, Victoria, BC
Format: Press conference with media availability on the picket line 

The PEA returned to the bargaining table yesterday to discuss the BC government’s last general wage offer, which remains at just 3.5 percent over a two-year contract. Talks broke down quickly after the government failed to table a revised general wage offer or any new monetary proposals. The PEA maintains that government licensed professionals deserve a fair deal and the BC government needs to value their expertise. 

This is now the seventh week of job action by BC public service professionals represented by the PEA, with over 1,000 members walking picket lines at worksites across the province. The strike has become the longest in the PEA’s 51-year history, underscoring the seriousness of the dispute and the lack of progress at the bargaining table. 

A full list of picket lines can be viewed HERE.  

Over 1,800 licensed professionals work across the province, including engineers, foresters, geoscientists, psychologists, and other specialized experts. The PEA entered bargaining with the Public Service Agency on May 27, 2025, but talks broke down after the government failed to address the union’s key issues, including wages, reimbursement of required licensing fees, and a commitment to reducing reliance on external contractors. On August 29, members voted in favour of a strike, issued 72-hour notice and began picketing alongside the BCGEU on September 2, 2025. 

Backgrounder:: www.pea.org/bcexperts
Photos of PEA members on strike: https://www.flickr.com/photos/peainbc/ 

– 30 –
 

Media Contact: Jordana Whetter, Communications Director
jwhetter@pea.org 250.516.5552 

Back to News