BC nurses' union vows to continue strike despite new mediators appointed
The province appointed mediators Friday, but the BC Nurses' Union says meaningful progress is needed before job action ends.
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British Columbia's nurses will continue their strike after the provincial government appointed mediators Friday to negotiate an end to the escalating job action, but the union says it won't back down without real concessions.
The BC Nurses' Union expressed frustration that it learned about the appointment through a government announcement rather than direct communication. "The first time nurses should hear about a major development in negotiations should not be through a government announcement," said BCNU President Adriane Gear. "This is not how a process built on good-faith bargaining should unfold."
Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers were tapped to oversee talks as the strike intensifies following a 98.2 per cent strike mandate by nurses. The union is demanding meaningful action on wages, staffing shortages, workplace violence, and mounting pressures facing the profession.
Picket lines are expanding across the province this weekend and into next week. Victoria General Hospital faces pickets on Sunday, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Monday, and Royal Jubilee Hospital on Tuesday.
"Nurses are taking the difficult step of escalating job action because they're fighting for solutions," Gear said. "Until we see meaningful progress at the bargaining table, nurses will continue standing together."
