The union representing more than 6,000 ambulance paramedics and emergency dispatchers says a strike vote will begin in early February.
The Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. said in a news release Tuesday (Jan. 27) that the union has reached an impasse and a strike vote is “imminent.”
Union president Jason Jackson said the union met with the employer, the provincial government, in an effort to advance negotiations and avoid any disruptions to services. But Jackson said “no positive progress was made” and the provincial government’s offer continues to fall short of what union members need to support themselves and their families and to protect their mental health and safety.
“Not only does the government’s offer fail to address the serious challenges we face, but it also doesn’t even live up to what other public sector workers have already been guaranteed,” Jackson said.
“Our members have stepped up time and time again to ensure patients across the province get the urgent care they need, but they are being stretched to their breaking point. It’s time for the B.C. government to recognize the desperate situation we’re in, and work with us to find solutions.”
The statement adds that B.C.’s ambulance service “continues to operate under significant staffing pressures,” and paramedics are deployed across the province to address long-term service gaps, particularly in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
Jackson says it is vital the provincial government work with the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. in this round of negotiations to find solutions, correct staffing levels and “return stability to the ambulance service.”
The strike vote will open Feb. 2 and voting will take place over a two-week period. Then once an essential order is in place, workers will be able to legally strike.