B.C. nurses union reaches agreement with province

The B.C. Nurses Union (BCNU) said it has reached a tentative agreement with the province after members overwhelmingly approved job action earlier this month.

The BCNU said on Friday members will now have the chance to review and vote to ratify the proposed agreement reached with the Health Employers Association of B.C. (HEABC).

The union said it comes after months of negotiations and a strike vote mandate that was supported by more than 98 per cent of members.

“This tentative agreement was reached because nurses across British Columbia came together and showed they were prepared to fight for meaningful change,” said BCNU President Adriane Gear.  

The BCNU said the agreement meets its calls for access to the enhanced mandate monies in addition to the government’s general wage increase of 12 per cent over four years.

It said the deal also includes improved benefits and measures to address workplace safety and violence prevention.

The union said its bargaining association also came to an agreement with B.C.’s Health Ministry on “significant additional funding” for minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.

The ratification vote is set to take place June 15 to 19. 

The HEABC said in a statement that details about the agreement will be available after the ratification process is complete. 

It said the negotiations supported the government’s priorities to “protect and strengthen critical services in B.C.’s public sector, to maintain labour stability in a complex round of bargaining and to support the Province’s efforts to find operational efficiencies that preserve front-line services.”