Nurses to Escalate Job Action with Picket Line at Vancouver General Hospital
Pressure increases on health employers to invest in stabilizing BC’s health-care system
Beginning on Tuesday, July 7 at 5:30 a.m. PT, BC nurses will escalate job action with picket line at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), while maintaining essential service levels to protect patient safety. The announcement comes one day after a province-wide non-nursing ban and restriction on overtime for Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) members.
“Nurses do not want to be on picket lines,” says BCNU President Adriane Gear. “We are in this profession to care for patients. But the provincial government and health employers can no longer ignore the demands of our health-care system, nor can they disregard the incredible pressure nurses face day in and day out. Even now, health employers are attempting to undermine nurses’ rights to take lawful job action by threatening discipline against those who are holding the line.”
In addition to the VGH picket line planned for July 7, NBA members across the province will continue to refuse non-nursing duties and restrict overtime. Nurses are set to be back at the bargaining table with health employers on Monday afternoon.
“The provincial government must come back to the table with an offer that respects nurses and recognizes their value in our health-care system,” says BCNU CEO Jim Gould. “This government is not going to solve the nursing shortage without making serious improvements to nurses’ working conditions. The union will also not tolerate any attempts by the employer to threaten or intimidate our members who are participating in lawful job action.”
The current job action follows an historic strike vote in which 50,850 nurses participated, with 98.2 per cent voting in favour of job action. Members later rejected a tentative agreement by 67 percent, signalling that the government's bargaining mandate failed to address nurses' core concerns, including a meaningful general wage increase and solutions that improve nurse retention and workplace safety.
To arrange an interview, please contact BCNU Communications at media@bcnu.org.