May 30, 2025

Dear Members,

We want to take the opportunity to remind you how important it is to understand and respect the limits of your posted positions, and your right to refuse unsafe work.

When a member accepts a job offer from a posted job competition, the posting information identifies details pertaining to the hours of work, where the work will be performed, and lists the duties and requirements of the position. These duties are derived from a job description the Union and the Employer have negotiated and agreed to as outlined in the collective agreement. The job descriptions identify the employee’s responsibilities, required training and built in protections that workers have while performing those job duties.

When the Employer requests an employee to take on work outside of the established duties and negotiated working conditions of their position, it is accompanied with great risks and potential consequences to our members. Training, familiarization and appropriate supervision are what help keep you, your coworkers and the public safe, and minimize the possibility of errors, disciplinary or a regulatory investigation. Limiting the members risks to workplace hazards and/or making decisions that may endanger public safety, is paramount when the Union negotiates job descriptions and working conditions on your behalf.

This is why the Union consistently advises its members not to perform duties outside of their awarded posting. The distinctiveness of each work site and evolving systems and infrastructures leaves workers vulnerable.
Recently the Union has received numerous queries from members on what are the Employers limitations when requesting staff to perform work that is outside the scope of their job position. Members are fully within their right to notify their supervisor when directed to perform work that is contrary to the details listed in their posting, that their preference is to perform work that is within their awarded position.

As a worker in British Columbia, you always have the right to refuse dangerous work, and if you wish to exercise that right, contact the Union for guidance and support.

Staying within your classification posting helps keep you safe, protects your job, and ensures that you are not taking on risks without protection. Please continue to look out for one another, and if you are unsure when being requested to do something that is different from what you agreed to, speak up. This is not about creating conflict but ensuring you and your coworkers are protected at work.

In Solidarity,

Jesse Medeiros
GVRDEU President