B.C. nurse job action enters second week as mediation begins to narrow wage gap

The BC Nurses' Union is in mediation with the provincial government as its job action continues into the second week, with union members holding a rally outside Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital on Tuesday expressing cautious optimism about negotiations.

The job action began July 2, with a ban on non-essential duties and overtime still in place. Despite the overtime ban, the union has approved over 150,000 hours of overtime since the action began, costing nearly $25 million to keep hospitals staffed. "This is overtime just to keep the hospitals staffed," said union president Adriane Gear.

The ripple effects are being felt across remote communities where healthcare resources were already limited. "If you take a patient to Kamloops and they're having job action or a picket line up there, or the nurses aren't fully staffed, that adds a significant amount of pressure to an already overtaxed system," said Ian Tait with the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C.

All health authorities affected by the job action say they have reallocated staff and resources to maintain critical hospital operations. Mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers have been appointed to help bridge the gap between the union's 60,000 members and the employer on wages and working conditions.