B.C.’s nurses have voted to reject the tentative deal negotiated between their union and the B.C. government on May 22.
The union’s president said the vote — 67 per cent of members rejected the deal — shows the “frustration” members have with pressures facing the profession.
“For many nurses, this vote was about more than the terms of a collective agreement,” BCNU President Adriane Gear said in a Friday afternoon (June 19) news release. “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.”
Ten days before this deal was announced, 98.2 per cent of the union’s more than 50,000 members had voted to authorize job action.
The tentative agreement would have provided members a 12-per-cent raise over four years (the same as other public sector unions) along with improvements to working conditions and benefits.
“The public sees crowded emergency departments, long waits for care and the challenges facing our health-care system,” Gear said. “Nurses experience those pressures every shift.”
The union plans to begin engaging with members in the coming days to determine next steps.
Black Press Media has reached out to the B.C. government for comment.