Strikes by highway workers spreading in British Columbia

Two groups of BCGEU members employed by private road contractors are now off the job

Vancouver (25 May 2007) - Strikes by highway workers in British Columbia are spreading as one group follows another onto the picket line in an effort to win fair settlements from private sector employers.

Maintenance workers employed by Yellowhead Road and Bridge went on strike this week in Bear Lake. The 96 workers are members of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE). They maintain over 3,000 kilometres of highways and roads in the service area that includes Prince George, Mackenzie and the Yellowhead Highway.

Previously, 88 workers employed by Mainroad South Island Contracting Ltd., also represented by BCGEU, walked out on southern Vancouver Island. They maintain highways on from Chemainus south to Victoria and west to Port Renfrew. They also maintain roads on the Gulf Islands, including Saltspring, Pender, Mayne, Galiano, Saturna, and Thetis.

BCGEU president George Heyman says both walkouts are statements about the deteriorating state of B.C. roads as well as attempts to win fair wages and working conditions.

"People in and around Prince George are as familiar as anyone in British Columbia with the deterioration of our roads and highways," Heyman says. He adds that there is a growing need to ensure that contractors across the province "have skilled staff to maintain our highways and keep them safe."

The union is maintaining essential services and responding to emergencies. B.C. highways are maintained by private contractors in 28 service areas across the province.