On July 24, the BC Nurses' Union (BCNU) announced that the Nurses Bargaining Association (NBA) and the Health Employers Association of BC accepted the mediators' recommendations for settlement.
The NBA job action will end at midnight on Friday, July 24, including all picket lines and the nurses' ban on non-nursing duties and overtime restrictions.
As part of this mediation process, the recommendations include work that will benefit the broader health care system, including reviews of workplace violence and a review of non-nursing duties.
The recommendations will also send the outstanding issue of nurses' wages to binding arbitration.
The BCNU stated in a social media post today that they believe this process could allow nurses to achieve compensation outside the government's mandate, and outside of the me-too provisions.
"That outcome would be fundamentally unfair to HEU members," said Lynn Bueckert, Secretary Business Manager. "HEU members made real sacrifices throughout this dispute and deserve to be treated fairly. If this process results in additional wage increases for nurses, HEU will pursue every available option to ensure our members are not left behind."
HEU will be closely monitoring the arbitration process and will update members once there is new information.