Pickets were up outside four Vancouver Island Regional Library branches on Monday as job action by librarians enters its fifth week.
The Duncan, Ladysmith, Port Alberni and Courtenay branches were all behind picket lines. All 48 librarians within the system have been off the job on strike since last week.
Branches without picket lines remain open but do not have services normally provided by librarians. Library staff who belong to the Canadian Union of Public Employees continue to go to work at branches where there are no picket lines.
The previous collective agreement between the library and librarians represented by the B.C. General Employees’ Union expired in December 2020.
Wages are the main stumbling block.
The library covers Sooke to Sidney, north to Port Hardy, part of coastal B.C. and Haida Gwaii. Most of its budget comes from municipalities and regional districts.
