Deal reached for community social services workers

'This compensation will assist our members who had filed grievances in the wake of Bill 29.' - BCGEU president Darryl Walker.

Vancouver (17 June 2009) - Four unions have reached a settlement with the British Columbia government providing compensation for community social services workers who lost job security protection under the Liberal government's 2002 contract-breaking legislation known as Bill 29.
 
The settlement amounts to $425,000 in total among four unions – the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE), which represents 70% of workers in this sector, the Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSABC/NUPGE), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU).
 
BCGEU president Darryl Walker says the settlement resolves a "court application" arising from the flawed legislation. "For the BCGEU, this compensation will assist our members who had filed grievances in the wake of Bill 29."
 
In 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Charter right to freedom of association had been infringed because key provisions of the unions' collective agreements were abrogated illegally by Bill 29.

Following the ruling, the Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell paid a settlement of $85 million in 2008 to unions whose health worker members had been impacted by Bill 29.
 
At issue in the latest settlement was the B.C. government's removal of job security provisions from negotiated collective agreements that specifically affected community social services workers. The payment is for employees impacted by Part 3 of Bill 29 and for professional development education for community social services workers.
 
NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE