Turning Point: BCGEU’s Fight for Survival, Video 1993
This 27-minute video chronicles the immense challenges faced by the BC Government Employees’ Union (BCGEU) in the previous decade when public sector unions were under attack from neo-liberal policies of government.
Elimination of public sector jobs through privatization and weakened labour laws were some of the challenges. In response, the union reinvented itself not just to survive, but also to grow.
Union tactics included:
● launching a $500,000 advertising campaign to highlight the negative impacts of privatization, successfully shifting public opinion
● collaboration with community organizations and municipal governments to oppose privatization, demonstrating their expertise in various public sectors
● Adapted by following its members into the private sector and organizing in new areas, diversifying its membership. This struggle ultimately strengthened the union, making it more dynamic, democratic, and broadly based.
● The subsequent provincial election in 1991 saw the BCGEU actively campaign against the Social Credit Party, leading to their defeat. The new government lifted wage controls, eliminated unfavorable labor laws, and reaffirmed commitment to public services.
The video concludes with a message of resilience, emphasizing that the BCGEU, though smaller, emerged stronger and smarter, ready for future challenges.