Facilities contract talks continue to focus on workplace health and safety

Talks this week for a new facilities subsector collective agreement covering 58,000 health care workers across the province focused on several key health and safety provisions, union rights, vacation and special leaves.
 
“We’re making some headway particularly in small group discussions with the employer in addressing critical issues like violence in the workplace, and psychological health and safety,” says HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard, also the spokesperson for the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA).

Members from the FBA bargaining committee and HEU staff have met with representatives from the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) to review sections of Article 37 – Occupational Health and Safety.

The goal of Article 37 is to promote “safe working conditions, the prevention of accidents, the prevention of workplace injuries and the promotion of safe workplace practices.” Both parties also agree to enforce the Workers’ Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

The unions are pushing for stronger Article 37 language to support the work of Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees, including more training, paid time for committee work and meeting preparation, plus improved provisions on workload, critical incident stress debriefing, workplace violence, psychological health and safety, and pandemic response tools.

Counterproposals were presented by both parties dealing with rest and meal periods, union check-off, and paid leaves including sexual and domestic violence.

And the FBA bargaining committee is advocating for improvements to vacation holdback provisions to ensure more worker control over their paid vacation leaves.

The biggest outstanding issue is the compensation packages. 

“With inflation at its worst in four decades, our members continue to have deep concerns about wages falling behind, and whether bargaining will result in retroactive pay,” says Brisard. “In a renewed collective agreement, any negotiated wage increases scheduled between April 1, 2022 and the date of ratification will be retroactive.”

Bargaining continues next week with dates scheduled through the second week of July.

Sector