B.C. nurses reach tentative agreement, avoiding strike

The threat of a strike by B.C.'s 50,000 nurses has led to a tentative agreement with provincial health employers.

After B.C. nurses voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike last week, the union and the Health Employers Association of B.C. reached a tentative agreement on Friday.

A record 98.2 per cent of members voted yes to job action after six months of bargaining between the parties, where benefits were a major sticking point. The B.C. Nurses Union and the HEABC resumed negotiations immediately after the vote.

“This tentative agreement was reached because nurses across British Columbia came together and showed they were prepared to fight for meaningful change,” Adriane Gear, president of the BCNU, said in a news release.

“The record strike mandate shifted the balance of power at the bargaining table and gave the committee the leverage to push harder, stay at the table longer, and secure meaningful gains for nurses across the province.”

The union says the agreement includes improved benefits coverage, access to “enhanced mandate monies” on top of the government’s regular wage increase, and workplace violence prevention measures.

The bargaining committee also reached an agreement with the province’s health ministry to secure “significant” additional funding to be put toward implementing minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.

A vote to ratify the agreement will take place in mid-June.