More than a dozen Hospital Employees’ Union (CUPE), B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union and seniors’ activists have ended their sit-in at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority offices where they were calling for comprehensive public consultations before health authorities implement the extreme health care agenda of the Campbell Liberal government.
“It is clear that the health authorities are doing the provincial governmen’s bidding in moving as quickly as possible to privatize our health care system,” says George Heyman, BCGEU president. “The public doesn’t support this Americanization of health care and our members who work in the system will do everything they can to fight these changes.”
“The activists want the health authority to open up the decision-making process to include widespread consultation with British Columbians so that the public knows what’s in store for health care before changes are made, not after,” says HEU secretary-business manager Chris Allnutt. “We agree. Consultation with and accountability to the public is exactly what’s needed.”
Contact: Brian Gardiner, BCGEU, 604-788-1492 (cell) Margi Blamey, HEU, 604-785-5324 (cell)