VICTORIA — Almost all of British Columbia's licensed professional workers are going on strike after contract talks broke down this week.

A statement from the Professional Employees Association Wednesday said it was clear during talks one day earlier that the government wasn't prepared to improve its offer of a general wage increase of 3.5 per cent over a two-year agreement.

The statement was mistakenly sent out early by a public relations firm, ahead of the official announcement of the "major escalation" in strike action at a news conference scheduled for Thursday.

Melissa Moroz, the association's executive director and its lead negotiator, said in the statement that it is deeply disappointed the government doesn't recognize the value of its own public servants and they have no choice b

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