Health science professionals began rotating strikes yesterday to put pressure on government to get serious about bargaining a new collective agreement with the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA).
Yesterday pharmacists reduced services to essential services only, while today public health inspectors and licensing officers are reducing their services to essential services only.
The union association advised today that it plans to continue the rotating strike action next week, reducing hospital lab services to essential services at midnight Sunday. There will be no picket lines.
“Health science professionals have waited long enough for a fair and reasonable agreement,” said CUPE National Representative Justin Schmid. “It took nine months of bargaining and the assistance of mediator Vince Ready to get the government to come to the table with their proposals.”
“We will continue to exert pressure to encourage government to work towards achieving an agreement,” he said.
CUPE represents over 500 members in the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA). HSA is the lead union in the 17,000 member bargaining association. Other unions in the bargaining association are BCGEU, PEA, and HEU.
For all bargaining updates and information on CUPE’s health sector in BC visit http://bcchs.cupe.ca/.