90% Yes: Members stand together for better health care
90% Yes: Members stand together for better health care
Specialized health professionals send strong message with strike vote
90.1% of BC’s health science professionals have voted in favour of taking job action in support of efforts to negotiate a fair contract.
This is a strong message that the government cannot ignore: your bargaining committee is not backing down in our fight for a contract that deals fairly with recruitment and retention so that we can fix BC’s public health care system.
We will be returning to the bargaining table in January with these results in hand. If the employer continues to refuse to engage in serious discussions to meet our priorities, we will be prepared to escalate to job action.
While other public sector agreements struck in recent months have offered significant funding to tackle recruitment and retention, health science professionals have been offered much less – about $100 million less (when adjusted for membership) – even as workload and burnout are so severe that 1 in 3 health science professionals are thinking of quitting. Even the additional funding offered to other tables would be insufficient to solve the dire problems contributing to delays and gaps in B.C.’s health care system.
BCGEU members like you should know that this strong strike vote result does not mean that job action will be starting soon. The next step in this process is your bargaining committee meeting with the employer in mid-January. Please keep an eye on your email inbox for an update in the new year.
Priorities for a fair contract include:
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premiums – for regular workers, for evening/night/weekend shifts, for workers in student supervision and preceptor roles, and more
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retention incentives such as an add pay system and improvements to paid time off to reward workers who stay in the public system
This strong mandate gives your bargaining committee the power to escalate job action if necessary-and ensures our employer knows we are not backing down. We will keep you updated on next steps. For now, know this: your vote has strengthened our hand and brought us one step closer to achieving the fair agreement we all deserve.
In solidarity,
Your BCGEU HSP Bargaining Committee
Tim Little, Local 404 Bargaining Chairperson Matthew Cook, Local 401
Virginie Fostroy, Local 407
Michelle McAuley, Staff Representative, Negotiations
P.S. Check that we have your personal email address here: and forward this link to any colleagues not receiving updates.
UWU/MoveUP
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