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While most non-monetary proposals have been tabled, monetary issues have yet to be discussed.
Vancouver (05 April 2012) - Negotiations for a renewed Facilities collective agreement picked up this past week as health unions tabled a substantial number of non-monetary proposals.
And although the collective agreement expired on March 31, talks have resumed while the terms and conditions of the current agreement will continue to be in force.
The multi-union Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) has now tabled most of its non-monetary package including proposals on job security, environmental sustainability, health and safety, union rights and a number of other issues.
The FBA has also tabled some proposals for the renewal of appendices to the collective agreement covering B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) members employed by the BC Ambulance Service.
BCGEU President Darryl Walker says that the pace of negotiations finally started to pick up this week.
“The FBA expected to be further ahead in negotiations by the time the contract expired but the government has imposed a restrictive negotiations process on the employers which is hindering the progress at the bargaining table,” says Walker.
FBA unions were supportive of BCGEU/NUPGE’s decision to break off talks and seek a strike mandate for members in the public service.
The FBA however, has not addressed monetary issues at the table yet and bargaining will continue next week.
The collective agreement covers a diverse health care team that includes workers in hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic treatment centres as well as emergency health services and shared services such as logistics and supply operations.
There are a dozen unions in the FBA representing health care workers in hospitals, residential care facilities, emergency health services, shared services (like supply chain and logistics) and diagnostic and treatment centres. More than 270 job classifications are represented in the talks.
BCGEU/NUPGE represents over 2,000 members covered by the Facilities agreement.
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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