Municipal workers in Colwood, represented by CUPE 374, will be conducting a strike vote next week after negotiations reached an impasse over the City’s proposal that would require workers to accept cuts to health-related leave in exchange for competitive wages.
With a shared regional workforce, municipalities in Greater Victoria compete for the same skilled employees, making it important for Colwood to keep pace. Without fair and competitive compensation and benefits, Colwood risks losing skilled and experienced workers to neighbouring communities, making it harder to maintain reliable public services.
“Our members aren’t asking for anything more than what other municipal workers in the region have already received,” says CUPE 374 President Shireen Clark. “The City is asking workers to accept cuts just to get the same wage increases that other municipal workers have already negotiated. That puts Colwood behind, and makes it harder to attract and keep the workers our community depends on.”
The union says the City is proposing to eliminate dedicated paid leave for medical appointments, requiring workers to use sick leave for routine care. They add that this change could lead some workers to delay seeking treatment and force them to choose between their health and their job.
“Access to medical care shouldn’t be up for negotiation,” says Clark. “Making it harder for workers to attend appointments is a step backwards for employees and for the services the community counts on.”
CUPE 374 and the City of Colwood began bargaining in December 2025. In April, the parties asked for the assistance of a BC Labour Relations Board appointed mediator. While most issues have been resolved, the employer’s refusal to offer a fair wage settlement without rollbacks continues to stand in the way of an agreement.
“Strike action is always a last resort. While we are committed to reaching a fair agreement without disrupting services, we won’t accept a deal that includes reductions and means we’ll fall behind other municipal workers in our region,” says Clark. “There is a path to a deal, but it will require the employer to reconsider their position.”
The in-person strike vote is scheduled for June 9.
CUPE 374 represents municipal workers who provide quality public services in the City of Colwood, including maintaining roads, parks, and public infrastructure, supporting administrative services and municipal operations, and helping keep community facilities and public safety services running smoothly.
