Round 20, Bargaining Dispatch XII: When Is a Mandate Not a Mandate?
February 9, 2026
Collective bargaining continues to progress with steady engagement between the FSA and BCIT bargaining teams. To date, the teams have met five times, with each focused on building productive dialogue aimed at better understanding the other’s proposals. These discussions have been constructive, and additional bargaining dates have been secured, with one day scheduled each week over the next month to maintain momentum at the table.
At the provincial level, the post-secondary sector has not yet seen the “enhanced mandate” that has been made available at some other public sector bargaining tables. In practice, the enhanced mandate means that some of BCIT’s largest unions are being given five times the flexible funding of others, like those of us in post secondary education. Through the coordination of the BC Federation of Labour, public sector unions continue to work in solidarity to ensure that any government wage mandate is applied consistently across sectors, reinforcing the principle that a true mandate should benefit all workers covered by provincial bargaining frameworks.