B.C. nurses vote 98 per cent in favour of strike, insist job action last resort

What would a nurses’ strike mean for health care in B.C.? And what needs to happen for one to be averted?

Unionized nurses have voted 98.2 per cent in favour of a strike, as the labour dispute between the B.C. Nurses’ Union and the Health Employers Association of B.C. escalates.

“This vote reflects the depth of frustration nurses are feeling after six months at the bargaining table, where too many of our members’ priorities have been ignored,” BCNU president Adriane Gear said during a Tuesday morning news conference in Vancouver.

Wages are among the issues—but benefits have also been a major point of disagreement during negotiations.

“Benefits have not increased for the nurses of B.C. in years,” said BCNU chief executive Jim Gould. “And in the last round, there was an absolute refusal to increase any of the benefits unless a whole bunch of preconditions were met.”

The B.C. Conservatives are tying the strike vote into their larger critique of the NDP government’s handling of health care and its ability to retain nurses.

“So that’s telling me there’s a real healthcare crisis,” Conservative health care critic Anna Kindy told CTV News in a Tuesday interview in reaction to the strike vote. “And the nurses are the backbone of our hospitals.”

Despite the strike vote—the premier insists he’s still optimistic.

“The nurses have taken a strike vote,” B.C. Premier David Eby said Tuesday afternoon. “That does not mean necessarily that they are going to go on strike. We are encouraging all parties to come back to the table.”

Shortly after those comments, the Health Employers Association of B.C. sent CTV News a statement saying the parties have agreed to resume talks.

“HEABC respects the right of unions to consult with their members, including taking a strike vote which can be a normal part of the collective bargaining process,” the statement read. “Following its vote, HEABC and the NBA have agreed to return to the bargaining table. The parties will resume negotiations starting today to address the issues that both parties believe are important.”

“HEABC believes that negotiations are best kept to the bargaining table where the parties can work together on solutions that are mutually beneficial and support the government’s and employers’ key priorities.”

The strike vote evokes memories of 2001—the last time nurses went on strike.

Back then, an overtime ban caused the cancellation of hundreds of surgeries.

At one point nurses even defied a labour board order to put down pickets—but the union insists it hopes things don’t go that far this time.

“We are highly motivated,” Gear said. “We want to get back to the table. We want a deal. Next move belongs to the employer and government. Do they want to deal with us?”

This vote gives the union the right to take job action after providing the employer with 72 hours notice—but there is no suggestion at this point we could see that immediately.