This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
Negotiations have been ongoing for eight months without a resolution. BCGEU/NUPGE members will be in a legal position to strike at 6 a.m. on January 21.
 |
 |
Vancouver (20 Jan. 2013) — Members of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) are set to begin job action in the coming days at LifeLabs facilities around B.C. LifeLabs provides laboratory testing services.
Members will be in a legal position to strike at 6 a.m. on January 21.
Job action will target Patient Service Centres, as well as LifeLabs’ test and blood collection sites on a rotating basis.
BCGEU/NUPGE members will be on strike January 21 and/or January 22 at Lifelabs Patient Service Centres in Metro Vancouver, southern and central Vancouver Island and Nelson.
The union is urging patients to call LifeLabs prior to going for a test to ensure the Patient Service Centre is open for business that day.
BCGEU/NUPGE members don’t take lightly the decision to strike. Workers are seeking a fair and reasonable settlement. The main issues are wages and employer demands for deep concessions.
The contract expired on December 31, 2011 and members have been negotiating for eight months. Workers voted 98.5 per cent in favour of job action in November 2012, as mediation sessions proved unsuccessful at reaching a new agreement.
BCGEU/NUPGE represents 706 members working at LifeLabs throughout the province.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE