With just 24 hours to go before workers go on strike at BC Place stadium, an agreement has yet to be reached between the BC Government and Services Employees' Union (BCGEU) and the stadium’s operator, BC Pavilion Corp. (PavCo).
The union issued a 72-hour strike notice Tuesday afternoon, after several attempts to resolve their issues failed, despite the assistance of a mediator.
Should the union strike, PavCo said BC Place “will be unable to operate for upcoming scheduled events.”
Those scheduled events include the Vancouver Whitecaps’ final game of the season on Saturday and the much-hyped Grey Cup, which is set for November.
The union noted in a release that the focus of the bargaining committee is job security, brought on by concerns about contracting out and a reduction of workers.
For its part, PavCo stated its dissapointment that talks had broken down with the BCGEU “despite its agreement to a number of significant union demands.”
PavCo, however, “remains optimistic that further progress will be made” and upcoming events will not be affected.
Jennifer Harrison
@JHarrisonBIV