The next round of contract talks is just around the corner with the facilities subsector collective agreement set to expire on March 31, 2012.
In September, the union held a series of two-day Occupational Conferences (with the exception of Patient Care, which was three days) for facilities subsector members. The Occupational Conferences are an opportunity for members – in patient care, patient care technical, clerical, support, and trades & maintenance job families – to provide direct input into the bargaining priorities relevant to their occupational category.
Conference objectives include:
- networking with peers from around the province;
- discussing issues specific to their occupational area;
- identifying a short list of bargaining priorities that address those issues;
- talking about the impact of the current political and economic climate on bargaining, and how to bargain strategically in this environment, and
- promoting occupational issues both within and outside the union.
Following the Occupational Conferences, bargaining priorities – determined by each occupational group – were submitted by the Provincial Executive to the Facilities Bargaining Conference in November.
2011 Occupational Conference newsletters:
- Support: September 13 & 14 (HEU Provincial Office)
- Trades & Maintenance: September 15 & 16 (HEU Provincial Office)
- Patient Care Technical: September 20 & 21 (HEU Provincial Office)
- Clerical: September 22 & 23 (HEU Provincial Office)
- Patient Care: September 27, 28 & 29 (Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel)