Two unions representing British Columbia professionals and public service workers have escalated their weeks-long job action to include about 26,000 staff across 14 ministries and provincial Crown corporations.
The Professional Employees Association, whose members include engineers, foresters and geoscientists, says more than 1,000 staff from the health, mining, transportation, resource stewardship and attorney general ministries are on strike.
The association had previously joined job action by the BC General Employees’ Union in the dispute with the province by picketing a number of government offices in Victoria, Metro Vancouver, Kamloops, Prince George and other communities.
The BCGEU also escalated its job action on Thursday to include about 25,000 public service workers across 475 work sites.
The union says in a statement that 11 ministries and B.C. Crown corporations are now “fully struck,” including the ministries of finance, citizens’ services, infrastructure, energy and Indigenous relations, as well as the Forest Practices Board, Royal BC Museum and BC Pension Corporation.
The union says it is maintaining “essential service levels where required by law,” but it warns further escalation is possible if the government doesn’t return to the bargaining table to work out what it describes as a “fair deal.”
Workers at B.C.‘s Liquor Distribution Branch are also on strike and all provincially run liquor stores are behind pickets heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend.
The strike also includes all Service BC workers in areas such as drivers licensing, student loans and income and disability assistance.
Melissa Moroz, executive director and lead negotiator for the professional employees’ union, says its members provide expertise that helps keep the public service running and ensure public safety across the province.
“They protect our drinking water, ensure our roads and bridges are safe, defend the public interest in court, and support responsible resource development,” she says in the statement issued Thursday.
“They deserve fair compensation and a government that values their expertise.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.
