About a dozen workers at ICBC's driver services centre on Concordia Way walked the picket line in a one-day strike Wednesday.

The job action from members of Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE) Local 378 comes to back demands for a new contract.

The workers at the driver services centre did not go out along workers at ICBC's claims office downtown Sept. 18.

The union said about 1,300 members, largely in the Lower Mainland and Victoria, were off the job. Six members at the Sahali office were deemed essential services and remained at work.

Union spokeswoman Sage Aaron said the two sides have bargaining dates scheduled Oct. 23-24. They have not met since the province announced a deal with B.C. Government and Service Employees Union last week.

That deal, as well as another agreement with B.C. Nurses Union, were signed under the B.C. Liberal government's co-operative net gains mandate, which requires savings to be found.

Sage noted ICBC is in the midst of a "business transformation" expected to reduce the workforce by attrition.

"They've said to us, the public and government, it will save money."

The union expects its members will share in those savings with a cost-of-living wage increase, she said.