Burnaby – On February 13, Members of the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) working at LifeLabs issued 72-hours’ strike notice to their employer. From their website: This action follows months of negotiations and LifeLabs’ refusal to bring wages and benefits in line with the cost of living, or to address poor working conditions resulting from chronic understaffing.
“LifeLabs workers receive 4-16% below what others in their industry get paid and they are struggling to make ends meet,” said BCGEU president Paul Finch. “Now that LifeLabs is owned by Quest Diagnostics, a billion-dollar U.S. health giant – we are fighting against an American for-profit model of healthcare and its impacts on workers.”
The union is seeking wage increases that close the gap with those in the public sector doing the same work, solutions to short-staffing and workload issues, and improvements to health and safety benefits.
“Workers want the employer to come back to the table with an offer that is less focused on their corporate profit margins, and more respectful both of workers, and the thousands of us across B.C. that depend on LifeLabs’ services,” said Finch.
In a February 17 statement from LifeLabs: As a designated essential service, LifeLabs will continue to operate and remain open, however some Patient Services Centres will be subject to rotating temporary closures, as they started on Thursday, February 20. The first one was in Saanich.. Please check the Location Finder for locations that are open for service.
