The Health Employers Association of B.C. has reached tentative agreements with associations representing community health-care workers and health-sciences workers.
The Finance Ministry says that negotiations for both deals were made under the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate to “support government’s key priorities to protect and strengthen critical services in B.C.’s public sector, to maintain labour stability in a complex round of bargaining and to support the Province’s efforts to find operational efficiencies that preserve front-line services.”
The Health Employers Association of B.C. announced Tuesday (Feb. 24) that it had reached a tentative agreement with members of the Community Bargaining Association, which represents just over 25,000 workers. Sixty per cent of those are in the B.C. General Employees’ Union. The last contract ended nearly a year ago on March 31, 2025.
The workers provide community health-care services for private homes, group homes, residential community living homes, supported employment programs, child development centres, adult day programs, mental-health centres, community service agencies and health authorities throughout B.C.
“Fixing long-standing inequities for community health workers is how we protect and strengthen community-based care—and that’s what members fought for in this round of bargaining,” B.C. General Employees’ Union vice-president Scott De Long said in a statement.
An information bulletin from the Finance Ministry says the two parties reached the deal under an enhanced mandate that includes additional increases linked to low-wage redress.
On Monday, the Health Employers Association of B.C. also reached a tentative agreement with Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association.
That tentative deal covers just over 25,000 health-sciences working as medical technologists, medical radiation technologists and physiotherapists. The classifications range from medical and laboratory disciplines to pharmacists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers and physiotherapists.
The health-sciences workers’ deal, along with being based on the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate, includes additional funding to support service delivery and improve working conditions for health-science professionals across the sector.
Specifically, it includes measures to address critical staffing pressures, significant investment in professional development and new reimbursements for professional fees that put Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association members on a more equal footing with other sector-based occupations.
Health sciences lead negotiator Jeanne Meyers said the tentative agreement has gains in all those areas “despite the province’s significant fiscal challenges.”
Meyers added it provides general wage increases of 12 per cent over four years, the maximum possible under the government’s wage mandate, and equal to that offered other public service professionals in B.C.
Further details about both agreements will come after ratification processes that are set to begin soon.