Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.

Talks resumed today between management and unions representing 46,000 front-line health care workers in BC. An official for the Hospital Employees Union, CUPE’s BC Health Services Division, which represents most of the affected workers, said a settlement was possible if the employer was willing to be “flexible and creative” at the table.

There were picket lines up at a number of health care facilities today as a provincial labour board ruling had thrown the situation into disarray. See http://www.heu.org for more information.

Theres still a lot of work to be done on key issues, says Allnutt, who is also secretary-business manager of the Hospital Employees Union, which has 43,000 members involved in the negotiations. The degree to which employers and government are willing to be flexible and creative at the table will be crucial for us to make headway.

The union, CUPE’s BC Health Services Division, had expected that all its non-essential members would be able to strike Sunday, March 31. But after the labour board ruling, individual locals had to chase down their employers to serve the 72 hour notice again.

As a result, pickets went up at strange times.

Workers at North Shore Health Region facilities walked out at 4:45pm. It took Vancouver Hospital workers an extra minute to track down their management, so they could walk at 4:46 pm

HEU has a complete list of work stoppages and study sessions..