27,000 workers strike in British Columbia

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VICTORIA, British Columbia, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A one-day protest strike in British Columbia saw 27,000 provincial government and private unionized employees off the job Wednesday demanding better wages.

Three large unions called for the strike after negotiations with the provincial government hit an impasse, the Victoria Times-Colonist said.

The unions were the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union, Professional Employees Association and the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union.

No essential services were affected, but government vehicle licensing and insurance offices were closed, as were liquor stores and some university departments in 153 communities and 1,785 worksites, the report said.

In earlier talks, BCGEU asked for a 3.5 percent wage increase in the first year of a two-year deal and a cost-of-living increase in the second, the newspaper said.

The government countered with an offer of 2 percent this year and a 1.5 percent increase next year, which the union rejected before it called for the one-day walkout.