I am a BCGEU member. I am publishing this because BCGEU presents itself publicly as a union that protects and advocates for its members — and in my case, that claim does not match reality.

I am also being careful about what I disclose publicly. I will not publish confidential terms from any agreements. I will not publish private documents here. What I will do is describe the long-running, verifiable reality I have lived through as a member: years of grievances, years of delay, and a union that ultimately chose closure over advocacy.

This post is about the BCGEU — the organisation that took my dues and held itself out as my representative — and then repeatedly failed to represent me in a meaningful way.

This has been going on for years

My issues with BCGEU are not about a single misunderstanding or a brief lapse in communication. My grievances have been active, disputed, and contested for years, with real consequences.

Over those years, BCGEU repeatedly left me in a position where I had to fight simply to get basic answers to basic questions:

• What is happening with my grievances?
• Who is responsible for them right now?
• What steps are being taken — and when?
• Why are key points being narrowed, delayed, or dropped?

In a union-member relationship, this is not a minor administrative flaw. It is how members are worn down — slowly, predictably, and effectively.

The core problem: BCGEU narrowed my grievances and refused to fully fight them

A union can lose a case. A union can make strategic choices. But a union should not abandon the core of what a member grieved, ignore obvious evidence supporting the member’s position, and then claim it “did its job” because the file was closed.

In my case, BCGEU’s handling has included:

1) Abandoning major aspects of what I grieved

My grievances involved real, concrete losses and consequences that went far beyond “paper fixes” or narrow technicalities. Over time, BCGEU’s approach became increasingly reduced — key issues were treated as something to spin off, set aside, or stop pursuing altogether.

That is not “fully advocating.” That is managing the member into silence.

2) Refusing to meaningfully engage with evidence BCGEU already knew existed

I provided records and evidence supporting my position. BCGEU knew the substance of what I was claiming. But instead of building the strongest case available, my experience has been that BCGEU repeatedly avoided acknowledging and advancing the points that mattered most — points any member would reasonably expect a union to pursue aggressively.

3) Choosing closure over remedy

The most damaging part has been BCGEU’s consistent posture that once it decides not to proceed further, the matter is essentially over — regardless of the losses the member has endured.

A union cannot credibly claim “member advocacy” while treating the end of internal process as proof the member received justice.

Internal appeal: the union upheld itself and shut the door

I used the union’s internal appeal process to challenge decisions in my files. The result, in plain language, was that BCGEU upheld BCGEU.

That is a structural problem. When a member raises serious concerns about representation and the union’s answer is essentially “we reviewed ourselves and we were right,” the member is left with no meaningful remedy inside the union.

Return-to-work / accommodation: silence that has real consequences

Separate from the above, I have received no meaningful contact or update on my return-to-work / accommodation grievance.

Accommodation is not a minor issue. It determines whether a worker can return to stable employment, income, and dignity. Being left without updates, without clear advocacy, and without visible progress has left me financially distressed and deeply impacted.

This is the part BCGEU leadership should be ashamed of: a member can be left in limbo for years while the union claims it is “advocating.”

Why I’m protesting BCGEU headquarters

Because this has gone on for years and quiet waiting has not worked.

I will be protesting peacefully and lawfully on public property. My protest is not about personal attacks. It is about accountability:

• members deserve real advocacy, not file-closure culture;
• members deserve evidence-based representation, not avoidance;
• members deserve action, not years of delay followed by abandonment.

What I want

I want BCGEU to stop claiming it “did its job” while refusing to fully pursue what I grieved.

I want BCGEU to reopen my grievance issues and fully advocate them — including the points that were narrowed, minimised, or effectively abandoned — and to pursue meaningful remedies based on the evidence.

BCGEU members: if this has happened to you

If you are a BCGEU member who has experienced your case being narrowed, delayed into the ground, or effectively abandoned, you are not alone. If you want to share your experience privately, contact me: