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October 27 Update: BCGEU Reaches Tentative Agreement with BC Government
On October 26, 2025, BCGEU and the government of BC reached a tentative agreement after 8 weeks of job action.
“Under the agreement, employees will receive a general wage increase of 3% per year for four years, along with additional targeted pay adjustments for the lowest paid workers in the public service to address the affordability crisis”. (Source: BCGEU media release, October 26, 2025)
- The BC Liquor Distribution Branch resumed wholesale operations on October 27, which are now operating 24/7 to catch up
- BC Liquor Stores and BC Cannabis Stores Re-Open. BCCS website not taking online orders yet, but hopes to re-open online ordering as soon as possible
- Delivery delays are expected while the backlog of orders is cleared
- It may take weeks for government stores and private liquor and cannabis stores to restock to pre-strike levels
Original article published on October 12, 2025:
As of Wednesday October 8, all BC Liquor Stores and BC Cannabis stores are on strike and several liquor and cannabis distribution warehouses are being disrupted while behind BCGEU pickets. Job action has escalated frequently since bargaining broke down. The strike is now in its sixth week with no end in sight.
48 more work sites with 2,600 members joined the strike on October 7 and remaining BC Liquor Stores and BC Cannabis Stores joined the strike on October 8.
BCGEU Strike At-a-Glance
- 25,000 members at 431 worksites are on strike
- 127 picket lines up in across BC (view the Strike Map).
- All BC Liquor Stores and BC Cannabis Stores closed because of the strike
Get the latest BCGEU strike updates here.
Thousands of striking workers marched to the provincial legislature in Victoria on Monday, October 6. Paul Finch, BCGEU President, told CBC that the rally at the legislature was just the beginning of escalating action. Finch says that negotiations with the BC government are “non-existent” adding that it’s unfortunate that the government won’t return to the bargaining table. The union is asking for a 4% increase in each year of a 2-year contract. The government’s latest offer is a 2% increase each year of the contract.
The strike comes while BC is in a financial jam, a record $11.6 billion dollar deficit which is forecasted to increase to $12.6 billion next year.
While currently, you can still buy liquor from private liquor stores and wine stores, restaurants and bars, BC liquor licensees will eventually be affected as liquor distribution is disrupted.
Need Help Weathering the Storm? Talk to a BC Liquor License Consultant
While we can’t end the BCGEU strike, our BC liquor license consultants can help you develop a contingency plan to minimize the negative impact of the strike on your business.
