Strengthening health care delivery requires a positive labour relations environment
Legislation that would limit job actions by health care workers during labour negotiations would negatively impact the collective bargaining process and make constructive negotiations difficult, warns B.C.’s largest health care union. “Recalling the legislature to restrict certain forms of job action would be an unfortunate move for this new government to make,” says Hospital Employees’ Union secretary-business manager Chris Allnutt.
“We need a positive environment where all parties can work together to improve and strengthen our public health care system. The government has a major role in fostering such a climate and regressive legislation certainly won’t do that.” Allnutt says that health care workers and their unions consider any decision to take job action very seriously and only undertake actions when other attempts to reach agreement have failed.
During negotiations this year, all health care unions have exercised restraint while negotiating collective agreements and have favoured job actions that minimize impact on patient care.
“We encourage the government to carefully consider the long-term impact that legislation undermining collective bargaining would have on the future of health care in B.C.,” says Allnutt.