Collective bargaining with the university’s six unionized employee groups, representing 6,755 employees, is expected to occur throughout 2025. This web page is a source of accurate information about the collective bargaining process and is designed to keep you informed about the state of collective bargaining at UVic.
UVic employee groups
Unions represent 95.2% of the 7,098 people employed by UVic. The remaining 4.8% include union-exempt professional and administrative support staff (1.7%) and faculty-excluded, management-excluded and executive employees (3.1%). Unionized employees are represented by:
- CUPE 917: athletic department, food services, grounds maintenance and janitorial employees, security officers and tradespeople
- CUPE 951: office employees, library assistants, technicians and childcare workers
- CUPE 4163 - Components 1 and 2: teaching assistants, lab assistants, French and English language instructors, and community leaders
- CUPE 4163 - Component 3: sessional instructors and music performance instructors
- The Faculty Association: regular faculty, limited-term faculty appointments and librarians
- The Professional Employees Association (PEA): administrative and academic professional employees
Provincial bargaining context
In 2025, 182 unions representing approximately 452,750 unionized public-sector employees in British Columbia will be renegotiating collective agreements with public-sector employers (school districts, hospitals, universities, crown corporations) under a new provincial Balanced Measures collective bargaining mandate.
Since 1993, bargaining in the broader BC public sector has been governed by negotiation mandates established by the provincial government. Past mandates have reflected the political/economic environment at that time. For example, the government focused the 2022 Shared Recovery bargaining mandate on providing a fair and reasonable offer to public-sector workers that included significant inflation protection, while ensuring that government had the resources to continue to invest in building a stronger province for everyone.
Provincial bargaining update
Last updated: Oct. 27, 2025
With the help of mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers, the BC Government and the BCGEU have negotiated the first tentative agreement under the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate. Full details about the tentative agreement will become clearer during the ratification process. What we do know is that the agreement is for four years and provides a 3% general wage increase in each year (2025 to 2028).
Please note that, while this tentative agreement should bring the BCGEU strike to an end, the BC Public Service branch of the PEA has not settled with the province yet. Late yesterday (Oct. 26), the PEA advised that they are removing their picket lines to re-engage with negotiations. As such, access to government buildings and services should be available, at least early in the week. Employees or students needing access to provincial-government buildings and services should check in with their contacts at these buildings and services to confirm access and the status of picketing for the near future.
Keep watching this site for information about updates to the status of collective bargaining across the broader public sector. Negotiations are actively underway in many parts of the broader public sector, including healthcare, K-12, community social services, crown corporations and in the research university sector.
Current status of collective bargaining at UVic
Last updated: Oct. 27, 2025
Now that a milestone agreement has been reached under the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate, we expect collective bargaining with the university’s CUPE and PEA locals to commence in the fall. Bargaining with the Faculty Association has been focused on non-monetary proposals to date. We are also monitoring bargaining progress at other BC research universities.
It will be our goal to conclude agreements with our unions at the earliest opportunity. Salary adjustments negotiated through collective bargaining will be processed as soon as possible, once an agreement is reached and ratified. Until that occurs, the current collective agreements remain in full effect until new agreements are negotiated and ratified by bargaining-unit members.