Retroactive Pay Grievance

Dear PEA members,

As you may have seen, the BC Public Service Agency (PSA) and the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) have reached an agreement on a grievance the BCGEU initiated regarding delays in processing retroactive pay resulting from financial increases negotiated in the 2022 collective agreement.

You’ll recall our members also dealt with unacceptable delays and in January 2023, the PEA filed a similar grievance.

PEA members ratified our Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) in November of 2022. The MOS included retroactive compensation effective the first pay period after April 1, 2022 (same as BCGEU). A proposed remedy sought through the PEA’s grievance included immediate payment plus interest.

The BCGEU grievance was heard first because they reached their bargaining settlement first and filed their grievance before us. The PEA agreed to put our grievance in abeyance (on hold) until the BCGEU was heard by arbitrator Corinn Bell. This is common in labour arbitrations where decisions can set precedents.

We will be meeting with the Employer in the coming weeks to discuss a resolution to the PEA’s grievance. This may be achieved through mediation or arbitration depending on how those meetings unfold.

Thank you for your patience as we work through the grievance process.

Respectfully,

Melissa Moroz
Labor Relations Officer