B.C. Nurses’ Union members have officially begun job action.
The union issued the 72-hour strike notice to the employer – the provincial government – on Monday, noting that job action would begin Thursday, July 2 at 12:01 p.m.
The union says its now beginning targeted job action at worksites across the province.
That means beginning Thursday nurses will no longer perform non-nursing duties, which the union says will allows nurses to “focus on the work they were trained to do—providing safe, quality patient care.”
Nurses will also be refusing all non-essential overtime hours.
The union says this is the first phase of a “broader escalation plan” that could expand in the coming days “if the government does not return to the bargaining table with an offer nurses can accept.”
Black Press Media has reached out to the B.C. Health Ministry for comment.
Union president Adriane Gear said this is not the outcome nurses wanted.
“Throughout this process, nurses have been clear about what is needed to strengthen the profession and stabilize our health-care system. We have remained ready to bargain in good faith, but the government has not responded with the urgency this moment demands.”
Gear added that nurses do not want to disrupt patient care and that every action is guided by a commitment to the people and communities the nurses serve.
“Today’s job action prioritizes patient care while sending a clear message to government that it can no longer ignore the pressures facing the profession or the critical role nurses play in sustaining British Columbia’s health-care system.”
The strike notice came after 98.2 per cent of the B.C. Nurses’ Union’s more than 50,000 members voting in favour of job action back in mid-May.
A few weeks later, 67 per cent of nurses voted to reject a tentative collective agreement negotiated between the B.C. Nurses’ Union and the Health Employers’ Association on May 22.
The union had declared on April 20 it was at an impasse after six months in bargaining negotiations.
The union says that during that time, the Nurses’ Bargaining Association put forward many solutions to address the quality of patient care that British Columbians receive, only to see the majority of those proposals rejected by the Health Employers Association.
The impasse followed a ruling from arbitrator Vince Ready regarding massage therapy benefits, which directs coverage for plan members and their dependents be capped at $1,427 in 2027 and $1,145 in 2028. Subsequent limits to massage therapy reimbursements would be determined based upon actuarial calculations.
An April 20 B.C. Nurses’ Union email obtained by Black Press Media says that Ready’s decision threatens the benefits members rely on. The email also says the cap will likely continue to decrease over time.
The union says there will still be no immediate changes before a new plan model is implemented Jan. 1, 2027.