Vancouver Island Regional Library standing by for a revised BCGEU counter-proposal
March 15, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 – Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) is standing by for a revised counter-proposal from British Columbia General Employees Union (BCGEU) Local 702 and looks forward to negotiating a mutually respectful agreement.
On March 1, 2022, VIRL made its latest bargaining proposal to BCGEU Local 702. VIRL’s proposal includes Librarian total compensation ahead of the sector average and beyond the levels BCGEU sought during the last round of bargaining. This offer has remained on the table since it was first proposed.
Earlier this month, VIRL rejected BCGEU Local 702’s most recent counterproposal for its significant departure on wage expectations, and VIRL re-committed to its standing proposal via the mediator.
Unlike many other primarily urban library systems, 80% of the communities VIRL serves are rural coastal communities, grappling with post-pandemic economic recovery. An agreement must be sustainable for all the communities we serve.
We hope BCGEU Local 702 will pause its service impacting job action and return to the bargaining table with a revised counter-proposal.
For more information on the strike action, including picket locations, visit virl.bc.ca/updates
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Media Contact
David Carson, Director, Corporate Communications
250.327.3651
dcarson@virl.bc.ca
