The multi-union Facilities Bargaining Committee has now tabled more than 100 proposals for improvements to the collective agreement on issues ranging from safe workloads to recruitment and retention.
The parties will exchange detailed wage proposals when bargaining resumes after spring break. HEU’s secretary-business manager Meena Brisard told health employers Friday that cost of living protections will be critical to achieving a renewed collective agreement.
“Like all workers in B.C., our members are struggling. They’re struggling to pay their rent or their mortgage. They’re struggling to buy groceries, to feed their kids. They’re struggling with the cost of transportation and the cost of gas.
“In the face of these rising prices, our members want a wage and compensation package that puts them ahead and not behind.”
Brisard says that last month’s provincial budget can accommodate cost of living protections for health care workers.
“Health employers need to consult with government and return to the table prepared to negotiate a wage and compensation package that keeps wages ahead of rising costs. Our members expect nothing less.”
The union bargaining committee has proposed a number of improvements to the collective agreement addressing member priorities such as stronger health and safety protections, a more inclusive workforce, stronger union rights, and measures to promote respectful workplaces free from bullying and systemic racism.
The committee also tabled language that addresses the needs of workers redeployed during health emergencies and natural disasters.
Brisard, who is spokesperson and lead negotiator for the nine-union Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA), says talks so far have been productive and credits the hard work of the unions’ joint bargaining team.
“Our committee is determined to negotiate the best collective agreement possible – one that addresses our members’ demands for safer workloads, and significant improvements to the compensation package.”
There have been three weeks of negotiations between the FBA and the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) since February 11. The FBA represents 58,000 health care workers covered by the facilities collective agreement.
On Tuesday, the Times-Colonist newspaper published a column authored by Brisard outlining the pressures facing health care workers and what’s at stake at the bargaining table.