Nurses hold rally to send message of unity ahead of historic strike vote
Indo-Canadian Voice Nurses hold rally to send message of unity ahead of historic strike vote posted by: Rattan MallNURSES from across the province marched in downtown Vancouver on Thursday, sending a clear message to government and health employers that they want to be respected at the bargaining table, and they deserve a fair collective agreement. Representatives from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, United Nurses of Alberta, BC General Employees’ Union, Health Sciences Association and other labour unions were […] The post Nurses hold rally to send message of unity ahead of historic strike vote first appeared on Indo-Canadian Voice.Indo-Canadian Voice
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NURSES from across the province marched in downtown Vancouver on Thursday, sending a clear message to government and health employers that they want to be respected at the bargaining table, and they
Representatives from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, United Nurses of Alberta, BC General Employees’ Union, Health Sciences Association and other labour unions were also in attendance to show solidarity with nurses on the front lines.
The rally comes at a critical moment after the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) provincial bargaining committee declared an impasse and stepped away from the bargaining table on April 20. More than 50,000 BCNU members will take a strike vote between May 8 and 11, giving the union the legal authority to initiate province-wide job action.
“Nurses are not taking this step lightly,” said BCNU President Adriane Gear. “This is about achieving a fair contract—while continuing to prioritize patient care every step of the way. We have been at the bargaining table since October and have put forward real solutions to stabilize the health-care system.”
Instead of meaningful progress at the table, the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) has rejected a majority of the NBA’s proposals to address workload, workplace violence and occupational health and safety. Further, they chose to pursue arbitration to impose changes to nurses’ benefits rather than negotiate changes through the bargaining process.
“Nursing is physically and psychologically demanding work, and benefits are essential to keeping nurses healthy,” said Gear. “At a time of critical shortages, rolling back supports risks driving nurses out of the profession and making a strained health-care system even worse.”
Gear noted that since 2019, injury claims across health care have risen by nearly 25 percent, and psychological injuries have tripled. “Taking anything away from nurses right now doesn’t make sense.”
There are currently more than 4,500 nursing vacancies across the province, with tens of thousands more nurses needed in the coming years. Gear said the government must make meaningful investments that will help to retain nurses
