Burnaby (Coast Salish Territories) – From BCGEU release – – After 14 months of negotiations and 10 weeks on strike, mediator Mark Brown has given his binding recommendations for a settlement with the employer that will make up LifeLabs workers’ new collective agreement, now in effect until March 31, 2027.
“LifeLabs workers have improved their collective agreement following mediation that imposed binding recommendations on their employer,” said Paul Finch, BCGEU president. “We thank Mark Brown for his work in helping to reach a resolution, however Quest and LifeLabs’ inability to reach an agreement at the bargaining table clearly reflects their prioritization of profit over the well-being of workers and patients. This underscores the need to transition B.C.’s diagnostic services into the public system.”
Workers won wage increases ranging from 11.3 to 20 per cent over three years. This puts them at parity in the second year of the new contract with the current wages of their counterparts in the public sector. Critical changes to address workload and overtime issues were also won, while concessions LifeLabs wanted workers to take for sick pay were taken off the table.
The BCGEU represents about 1,200 workers at LifeLabs throughout the province. Following mediation in April, the parties agreed to accept binding recommendations and signed a return-to-work agreement on April 25, 2025. Workers returned to work on April 26, 2025, and the binding recommendations were delivered May 14, 2025. The renewal agreement is now in effect April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2027.
