VICTORIA - A tentative agreement has been reached under the Cooperative Gains Mandate between Community Living BC (CLBC) and the BCGEU, the first at a Crown agency, Moira Stilwell, Minister of Social Development announced on October 17.
The BCGEU represents about 350 unionized workers at CLBC that deliver support and services to adults with developmental disabilities and their families throughout British Columbia.
The two-year agreement provides for modest wage increases, which are being funded from savings found within CLBC's existing budget, without reducing services or increasing fees, as required under government's Cooperative Gains Mandate.
Government has been clear that there is no new money to fund wage increases and there is no desire to download these costs onto families or future generations. The Cooperative Gains Mandate provides public sector employers with the ability to negotiate modest wage increases through savings within existing budgets. Settlements under the 2012 Mandate are expected to be unique between sectors and between employers in some sectors.
No further details on the agreements will be available until ratification is complete.