Over 500 Nurses, Allied Health-Care Workers Rally in Vancouver Against Escalating Workplace Violence
BCNU rally comes after a series of violent attacks on nurses in BC
Nurses from across the province are being joined by allied health-care workers at a lunch-hour march and rally in Vancouver today to denounce the alarming rise in workplace violence.
The rally, held under the banner “Violence. Not Part of the Job” was organized by the BC Nurses’ Union to draw attention to the growing crisis of violence in health care – a systemic issue fuelled by chronic understaffing and inadequate security measures in hospitals and care facilities. The event features a powerful first-hand account from an emergency room nurse from Surrey Memorial Hospital who was violently assaulted by a patient last year.
Representatives from the BC General Employees’ Union, Health Sciences Association, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, and National Nurses United (California) are also in attendance to show solidarity with nurses on the front lines.
“We’ve seen an escalation in disturbing incidents where nurses have been choked unconscious and threatened with weapons,” says BCNU President Adriane Gear. “No one should have to fear for their safety at work. Yet every day, nurses face physical and verbal assaults while doing their jobs – caring for others. Enough is enough.”
Besides addressing critical staffing shortages across the health-care system, BCNU is calling for additional relational security officers in all facilities, and the continued implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. Evidence shows that safer staffing levels not only improve the quality of patient care, but they also reduce workplace violence.
WorkSafeBC data paints a stark picture of a worsening crisis. Time-loss claims related to workplace violence among nurses across the profession have nearly doubled—rising from an average of 25 per month in 2014 to 46 per month in 2023.
“Violence is not part of the job, and we refuse to let it become the norm,” says Gear. “We are calling on this government to treat this crisis with the urgency it demands—because our safety should never be negotiable.”
To set up an interview, please contact BCNU Communications at media@bcnu.org.