Desjardins Financial Security has been awarded the long-term disability contract for Public Education Benefits Trust to cover 14,000 unionized school district support workers in British Columbia.

The Trust provides a government-funded long-term disability plan for the Canadian Union of Public Employees support workers. The agreement covers an $8-million annual administrative services-only contract, which went into effect March 1.

“This is our largest long-term disability client in British Columbia,” said Dan Poole, vice president of sales for Desjardins’ insurance division in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada.

The Public Education Benefits Trust is a joint trust between CUPE and the British Columbia’s Public School Employers’ Association. It was established to provide health and welfare benefits to members.