Province faces more labour action

Local community-based social service workers are taking their turn at rotating job action today.

Members of B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) will be on strike in Prince George, with a picket line at the main AimHi office at 950 Kerry St. from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Picketers will also have a presence in front of Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond's constituency office from noon to 1 p.m.

The BCGEU represents 527 community social service workers in the area, who work at seven different agencies.

These are workers at not-for-profit societies who support people with developmental disabilities, at-risk youth and women, First Nations and other members of the community.

AimHi is the largest community social services organization north of Hope in the province.

The union - which represents 15,000 community social service workers - has been in a legal strike position since Tuesday and job action has already taken place in Vancouver and Kamloops.

Wages are at the heart of the labour dispute. According to the BCGEU, community social service workers are the lowest paid in the sector, with many starting wages having been reduced since 2002.

"The B.C. government has put vulnerable families last on its priority list. Since 2004, they have slashed $300 million in funding for programs that support the developmentally disabled, vulnerable women, at-risk youth, and children and infants in community-based programs across the province," said BCGEU president Darryl Walker.