British Columbia nurses have issued 72-hour strike notice after members rejected a tentative agreement between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and health employers.
The BC Nurses’ Union said nurses could begin job action later this week if employers do not return to the bargaining table with an improved offer.
“This is fundamentally a conversation about priorities,” said Adriane Gear, president of the BC Nurses’ Union. “Nurses want to know why the health authorities continue to spend millions of dollars on costly short-term staffing solutions, while the nurses who are here for the long-term struggling with workload pressures, unsafe working conditions and staffing shortages are being told the cupboards are empty.”
The notice follows a provincewide strike vote held May 8 to 11. The union said 50,850 nurses took part, with 98.2 per cent voting in favour of job action.
The pressure from that vote led to a tentative agreement on May 22. But 67 per cent of members later rejected the deal.
The union said the tentative agreement included improvements to benefits and shift premiums. But it said nurses did not believe the agreement went far enough, particularly on general wage increases.
“This is not a step BC nurses want to take,” said Jim Gould, chief negotiator for the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and chief executive officer of the BC Nurses’ Union. “However, many have reached the point where they feel they have no choice but to shine a light on the realities they face every day while caring for British Columbians in crowded hospitals, under-staffed long-term care facilities, community health settings and patient’s homes across the province.”
The union said it remains committed to reaching a negotiated agreement.
