B.C.’s Professional Employees Association has voted to ratify a renewed collective agreement.
The Finance Ministry announced the agreement Thursday (March 26) between the Professional Employees Association the B.C. Public Service Agency. It covers about 1,900 people working as foresters, engineers, agrologists, geoscientists, psychologists and others throughout B.C., as well as legal counsel.
The new collective agreement would be backdated to April 1, 2025.
The Professional Employees Association announced two weeks ago that the union had reached a tentative deal with the B.C. government.
That came five months after the union participated in an eight-week public service strike in 2025. Both unions joined together in an eight-week strike that ended on Oct. 26 after nearly all non-essential workers had walked off the job.
The collective agreement, which was negotiated under the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate, includes some additional funding to support service delivery and improve working conditions for union members. It also includes changes to special compensation for overtime, shift work and standby, and also provides increased indemnity coverage to ensure professionals can practise with reassurance.
– With files from Mark Page