Government workers in Kamloops will be on the picket lines starting Tuesday morning, as the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and Professional Employees Association (PEA) expand strike action across the province.

More than a thousand workers in 11 B.C. cities are expected to join the latest phase of the job action, which union leaders say is aimed at pushing the province back to the bargaining table with a better offer.

“The union is escalating its job action to put increased pressure on government to come back to the table with a reasonable offer,” said Mellissa Moroz, Executive Director of the PEA. “They have not done that.”

The pickets are targeting what the unions describe as “core government services,” including engineering, infrastructure, forestry, and other public safety-related work. Picketing in Kamloops is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and could continue daily until a new deal is reached.

The job action is not currently affecting liquor or cannabis distribution centres, despite speculation over the weekend. BCGEU president Paul Finch confirmed Monday that while those services are not part of this round, they remain a possibility if talks don’t progress.

“We will not be targeting the liquor distribution centres despite some creative reports over the weekend,” Finch said. “That’s not on the list of notice of sites that we’ve given at this time… [but] everything is on the table.”

At the heart of the dispute is compensation. Both the BCGEU and PEA argue the province’s current wage offer doesn’t reflect the value or responsibilities of public service professionals. Moroz says that’s driving long-standing recruitment and retention problems — which, if left unaddressed, will end up costing more.

“The province needs these professionals now more than ever. The work that they do needs to get done,” Moroz said. “If our members aren’t paid to do it, then the province will hire contractors — and that costs more money.”

She adds that while the goal is to minimize impact on the public, the consequences could grow if the strike continues.

“When PEA members go on strike, there will be costly delays to forestry, mining, transportation and infrastructure,” said Moroz. “But I’ll also stress — our members don’t take going on strike lightly. We want to get back to work.”

There is no timeline yet for when picketing will end in Kamloops, but union officials say they’ll remain on the lines until the province puts forward a wage offer members are prepared to ratify.