Burnaby (BCNU Release) – Nurses have voted 67% to reject the tentative agreement reached between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) and BC’s health employers on May 22.
The result sends a powerful message from nurses across British Columbia. While the tentative agreement included important gains, the majority of nurses – who are currently carrying the weight of increased pressures on the health-care system – want the government and health employers to recognize the true value of their work.
“For many nurses, this vote was about more than the terms of a collective agreement,” said BCNU President and Chair of the Provincial Bargaining Committee Adriane Gear. “It is about having agency – about having the opportunity to make their voices heard and express their frustration, their tenacity and absolute resolve for change. Nurses care deeply about their patients and their profession, but they are also telling us that the conditions they are working under cannot continue.”
BC’s nurses across the province have demonstrated extraordinary solidarity throughout this round of bargaining. That unity was reflected in May’s strike vote, when more than 50,850 nurses voted 98.2 per cent in favour of job action – one of the strongest bargaining mandates in Canadian labour history.
The historic level of engagement seen throughout this round of bargaining comes at a time when nurses continue to face enormous pressures in their workplaces. Across the province, nurses are providing care in increasingly challenging environments, often without the staffing, resources and supports required to meet growing patient care needs.
“The public sees crowded emergency departments, long waits for care and the challenges facing our health-care system,” said Gear. “Nurses experience those pressures every shift. This vote reflects the frustration many nurses feel about the conditions they are working in and the urgent need for continued action to support the profession and strengthen patient care.”
In the coming days, the NBA bargaining committee will engage with members and determine the next steps in the fight for the improvements nurses want to see.
“This vote is a powerful message that nurses expect more – not only for themselves, but for the patients and communities they serve,” said Gear. “Our members have spoken, and we will continue to fight for the changes nurses need to strengthen the profession and ensure British Columbians receive the care they deserve.”
From the Province
Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, has issued the following statement after members of the Nurses’ Bargaining Association voted not to ratify the tentative agreement:
“We deeply value the dedication and contributions of nurses who provide essential health-care services to communities throughout British Columbia every day.
“While we had hoped for a different outcome, we respect the decision of the members and the democratic process that led to this result. We understand that the Nurses’ Bargaining Association will now be engaging with its members to determine the next steps.
“This is an important and sensitive stage in the bargaining process between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and the Health Employers’ Association. We respect the need for both parties to have the time and space required to continue their discussions.
“As demonstrated by the recently ratified agreements with Doctors of BC, the Health Sciences Association and the Hospital Employees’ Union, the strongest and most sustainable agreements are reached through collective bargaining.
“We remain hopeful that the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and the Health Employers’ Association will continue working together at the bargaining table and ultimately reach an agreement that supports nurses and strengthens health care for people throughout British Columbia.”
