Taking place in: Vancouver, BC
Overview
The Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Conference brings together top union leaders, employer representatives, negotiators, HR professionals, legal experts, and government officials to explore the latest factors shaping public sector labour negotiations.
Ideal for those gearing up for bargaining, the conference highlights recent legislative changes, wage settlements, economic and arbitral trends, and other emerging issues at the bargaining table. Sessions focus on proven bargaining strategies, and best practices tailored to Western Canada’s labour relations environment.
More than just an educational event, this conference offers meaningful networking opportunities with seasoned negotiators and industry experts. Equip yourself with practical knowledge and professional connections to navigate the complexities of public sector bargaining successfully.
Attendees also have the option to attend one of two featured workshops offered by Lancaster’s Centre for Labour Relations Training & Development, taking place the day after the conference at the same venue.
What to Expect
In this conference, leading economic experts and negotiators will examine economic trends, legal developments, and emerging workplace issues impacting negotiations in the broader public sector.
Throughout the event, panelists from union-side, employer-side, and neutral perspectives will share their insights through moderated discussions. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions verbally or electronically at the end of each panel.
Participants will also be provided with a comprehensive set of digital materials including textbook chapters, case summaries, and other online resources. These resources, developed through hours of research by Lancaster House program lawyers, will prove invaluable for future reference.
Who Should Attend?
This conference will provide invaluable learning and networking opportunities for:
- Union Negotiators – Connect with other union leaders and hear from top voices on strategies at the table.
- Government Representatives and Human Resources (HR) Managers and Directors – Build bargaining approaches informed by the latest legal and economic developments while connecting with and hearing from union counterparts.
- Industrial Relations Specialists and Labour Lawyers/Consultants – Stay up to date on the latest developments impacting public sector bargaining and evolving collective agreement language on complex and emerging workplace issues.
Learning Outcomes
By attending this conference, you will:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of federal and economic and fiscal outlooks and the implications for labour relations, and how this may impact public sector bargaining.
- Learn how to translate these economic realities into bargaining strategies and understand and communicate how the statistics may impact approaches at the table.
- Keep informed on recent cases and legislative changes impacting bargaining, including the legality of government interventions in strike actions.
- Know how to modify collective agreements for modern workplaces.
- Engage with leading experts through interactive Q+A periods, enhancing your professional practice.
- Network with peers across industries and across the table, building bridges and fostering collaborative approaches to bargaining challenges
Sample Materials
Click the following link to see an excerpt from a previous year’s materials.
Skills Training Workshop
Bargaining from Start to Finish: What to expect, what to avoid
In this full-day workshop, experts will guide participants through the bargaining process, from start to finish, with a focus on preparing for bargaining, applying negotiation strategies, and crafting appropriate collective agreement language. Participants will engage in interactive exercises relevant to the principles and practices discussed throughout the day. Questions to be discussed include:
Preparing for Bargaining
- How is collective bargaining conducted in the public and broader public sectors? How do mandates affect bargaining?
- How should parties efficiently and effectively prepare for bargaining?
- What factors should parties consider when developing a bargaining strategy?
- What are best practices for drafting bargaining proposals? What steps should employers and unions take when drafting or reviewing bargaining proposals?
- Why is costing necessary? How should parties determine the cost of benefits under a collective agreement?
Negotiating and Communicating
- What are examples of negotiation strategies and tactics?
- How can parties identify and counteract bad faith bargaining?
- When should parties consider mediation or other dispute resolution options?
- What actions should unions and employers avoid when communicating with members or employees and the media during bargaining? How can parties engage the media effectively?
Bargaining Novel or Pressing Issues and Collective Agreement Language
- What strategies should be employed when bargaining novel or pressing issues, such as the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”), workloads, and restructuring?
- What rules should parties keep in mind when drafting collective agreement provisions, especially with respect to novel issues?
- How do arbitrators interpret provisions of a collective agreement? What lessons can be learned from recent decisions in which arbitrators have interpreted contentious provisions?
Concluding Bargaining
- What steps are involved in the ratification of a collective agreement?
- What information should parties preserve in anticipation of future disagreements or in preparation for the next round of bargaining?
Click here to learn more about the associated Skills Training Workshop sold separately or with conference bundle options available.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Breakfast: 8:00 – 9:00 am
Economic uncertainty, fiscal pressures, labour shortages, and shifting workforce expectations are colliding with rapid technological change and an increasingly volatile legal and political landscape, reshaping bargaining in real time and raising the stakes at the table. This panel explores how emerging economic developments are shaping 2027 bargaining strategies and priorities. Panelists will explore:
- What does the 2027 economic outlook for British Columbia and Canada suggest for inflation, housing affordability, interest rates, and labour market conditions?
- To what extent are current cost pressures driven by short-term inflation versus longer-term structural shifts in the economy?
- Which sectors in BC are most affected by persistent vacancies (health care, skilled trades, education, social services, hospitality)?
- How are labour shortages, skills gaps, and changing workforce expectations shaping recruitment, retention, and bargaining priorities?
- Are return-to-office mandates giving rise to accommodation, work-life balance, operational, or policy grievance issues?
- How are developments in pay transparency, pay equity, and compensation regulations and reporting requirements under the BC Pay Transparency Act influencing bargaining strategies and wage expectations? Are pay transparency reports?
- What role will other changes in legislated labour standards (e.g. immigration) play in bargaining?
- What issues are most likely to emerge as bargaining priorities for unions and employers in the next round?
Break: 10:15 – 10:30 am
Break: 11:00 – 11:15 am
In this session, panellists will provide practical takeaways from the previous round of bargaining. Panellists will examine recent innovative collective agreement clauses negotiated during the last round to address relevant and emerging workplace issues, such as the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”). Questions to be addressed include:
- Reflecting on the last round of bargaining, what unexpected challenges arose and how did the parties respond? For example, how have employers and unions reconciled generational differences in the workplace that result in differing bargaining priorities?
- What issues concerning the use of AI, such as technological change, have been recently addressed through collective agreement language?
- What features of remote or hybrid work arrangements have been specifically addressed in recently negotiated provisions? What options, other than remote or hybrid work, have employers and unions considered during the last round of bargaining?
- What new or modified leave and benefit provisions are beginning to appear in collective agreements?
- What other innovative clauses have been recently negotiated? What issues should parties consider incorporating into collective agreements going forward?
- What are the key takeaways from the last round of bargaining?
- How can the parties best prepare for the next round?
The final selection of topics will take place in the weeks leading up to the conference, ensuring coverage of the latest collective agreement language and most relevant workplace issues.
Networking Lunch: 12:30 – 1:30 pm
In this session, panelists will examine the latest decisions, legislative changes, and other key developments impacting bargaining in the public sector. The session and materials will delve into topics including:
- recent strikes, job actions, and recent federal government interventions pausing or prohibiting strikes in essential services such as the healthcare sector (nurses), transit sector (Metro Vancouver workers), along with the core provincial public service, and specialized technical and professional sectors;
- significant labour board decisions addressing issues such as secondary picketing and site limits (such as Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited, 2025 BCLRB 67), unfair labour practices and the duty to bargain in good faith (such as British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., 2026 BCLRB 127), and the use of out-of-province workers to perform struck work (such as Gate Gourmet Canada Inc. v Unite Here, Local 40, 2025 BCCA 246);
- impact of recent interest arbitration decisions addressing inflation, staffing and retention, and changing social, political, and economic conditions;
- the effect of recent grievance arbitration awards, including cases addressing employee privacy and surveillance, discriminatory collective agreement language, protected union activity, the use of hiring incentives, remote work, discipline investigations, mental health and workload, the application of the Charter to B.C. employers in the broader public sector; and
- navigating potential conflicts between collective agreement language and changing requirements in employment standards legislation;
The session will also address key legislative and policy updates, including:
- the ongoing review of the B.C. Labour Relations Code;
- pay transparency and other employment standards;
- measures introduced by the federal and B.C. government to address the impacts of ongoing trade conflict;
The final selection of topics will take place in the weeks leading up to the conference, ensuring coverage of the latest collective agreement language and most relevant workplace issues.
Break: 3:00 – 3:15 pm
Leanne Anderson
Member Services Officer, Advocacy
UBC Association of Administrative and Professional Staff
Closing Remarks: 4:00 pm
Food and Beverages
Breakfast and lunch to be provided, with a variety of snacks and refreshments available during breaks. Breakfast is provided prior to the workshop and will be available starting at 8:00 am. Please share any dietary requirements at the time of registration so we can best accommodate your needs.
Changes and Notifications
All dates, prices, and locations are subject to change. Registrants will be notified of any changes to venues or dates. If you have any questions, please contact customerservice@lancasterhouse.com.
Pricing
Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Conference
$1,455.00Add to cart
Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Conference + Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference
$2,295.00Add to cart
Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Conference + Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Skills Training Workshop
$2,355.00Add to cart
Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Conference + Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference + Labour Arbitration and Policy Skills Training Workshop or Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Skills Training Workshop
$2,995.00Add to cart
Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference
Attend Lancaster House’s Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference, taking place at the same venue two days after this conference – November 6, 2026.
Tailored for labour relations professionals, lawyers, consultants, arbitrators, and mediators, the event will feature engaging discussions on the latest caselaw and legislative updates and procedural tools and challenges. Connect with leading legal and labour relations professionals and build the knowledge and relationship essential for success in Western Canada’s legal landscape.
Featured Workshops
Attendees have the option to attend one of two featured workshops offered by Lancaster’s Centre for Labour Relations Training & Development, taking place the day before the conference at the same venue.
In these interactive, day-long workshops, participants will hear from leading experts and work in small groups on skill-building exercises, learning practical tools and techniques that will prove invaluable in day-to-day work.
Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Skills Training Workshop
Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference Skills Training Workshop
