Progress made as Public Service bargaining gets underway
Negotiators for Public Service nurses and the provincial government made progress toward a new contract when they sat down for two days of talks Oct. 4 and 12.
They'll meet again for another round of bargaining Nov. 1, 2, and 3.
The main priorities for the Public Service Nurses' Bargaining Association are parity with RN/RPN wages in the Provincial Collective Agreement (PCA), increases to shift premiums, qualification equivalency for diploma nurses, measures to prevent violence in the workplace, and the signing bonus awarded nurses under the PCA. Also high on the priority list is the need to recruit and retain nurses in the Public Service.
Bargaining began with the parties exchanging and discussing their proposals. The two sides identified various proposals that were identical.
On October 12 employer negotiators presented those proposals they had agreed to and responded to other Nurses' Association proposals. The Association agreed to some employer proposals.
The parties held more in-depth discussions about the seniority issues that arise when nurses change status from auxiliary to regular and vice versa, as well as about shift premiums and collective agreement language concerning auxiliary staff.
The Public Service Nurses Bargaining Association represents about 500 members of the Union of Psychiatric Nurses and about 200 members of the BC Nurses' Union. Their contract with the provincial government expires on December 31, 2006.
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