C.-B. Strike Disrupts Public Services

In British Columbia, the strike movement is intensifying on the side of provincial government employees and the effects are affected in certain public services.

New strike stakes have been installed in front of alcohol and cannabis sales stores and pressure means are also led by leading staff in ministerial offices.

After several weeks of strike and the failure of negotiations between the union party and the province earlier this week, impacts are felt, especially on the side of students who depend on the government’s financial aid – StudentAid BC.

It’s worrying, because I have two childrenexplains Cherlyn McKay, student of social work at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.

It will really be a problem if I do not receive my money in January, because we have a lot to pay, especially by living in a city like Vancouver, which is very expensive.

Its reality is shared by many other students.

It is really distressing to have to prepare for this purpose of the strikeindicates Solomon Yi-Kieran, vice-president of external affairs of the student association Alma Mater Society (AMS), on campus.

Students are faced with so many barriers and difficulties already having to worry about the government’s loan payments should not be added to the list.

Still no understanding

By way of press release, the government of British Columbia says understand that the current disruption of the online demand system service StudentAid BC is a source of uncertainty and stress for students.

Payments of StudentAid BC will be delayed until the normal service is resumedcan we read on the government’s website.

The post -secondary education ministry nevertheless ensures that most of the students enrolled in post -secondary education establishments this fall have already received their funding and will not be affected.

Since the start of the school year in August, according to the government, StudentAid BC he processed the requests for financial assistance of more than 46,000 students from all of British Columbia to help them cover their tuition fees and their subsistence costs.

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We are deeply concerned about the measures taken and, frankly, by the inaction of the government on this questionreplied the president of the General Syndicate of Workers of British Columbia (BCGEU), Paul Finch, who also recognized the share of the union in this case.

He asked the provincial government to return to the negotiating table after the failure of an agreement earlier this week.

The BCGEU represents around 34,000 public service employees in British Columbia, including workers from provincial correctional establishments, child and family services, forests and administrative service providers for government activities.

At the start of the strike in early September, just over 2,000 employees were part of the movement. Today, there are more than 17,000, according to the union.

The latter notably requests an increase in wages of 8.25 % over two years.

For her part, the British Columbia Minister of Columbia, Brenda Bailey, said that any agreement must be fair and respect the government’s budgetary plan.

With information from William Burr