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The tentative agreement covers more than 17,000 health science professionals who deliver health care services in B.C. hospitals and communities.
Vancouver (5 Feb. 2013) - Last week, after almost a year of bargaining for a new contract, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) has reached a tentative agreement for nearly 17,000 health science professionals working in hospitals and communities across British Columbia.
“In yet another very difficult bargaining climate, our priority was to achieve fair and reasonable wages for our members, and to continue to provide the quality health care services British Columbians rely on,” said Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSABC/NUPGE) President Reid Johnson.
“While it has been a very rocky ride, including three days of rotating strikes in December, we have reached some significant achievements for our members. Our bargaining committee has worked hard to make important improvements for members that will result in improvements to the system,” he said.
The tentative agreement achieves fairness for all members of the modern health care team by finally recognizing the work and commitment of the team of health science professionals who are there – day or night – to perform the life-saving services that keep British Columbians alive in medical emergencies. The provisions that protect the health and safety of health science professionals in short supply who often work on call, and fairly compensate those who work extraordinary shifts to deliver critical services, are a long-fought for recognition of contribution of these members of the modern health care team.
“The tentative agreement is in line with other B.C. public sector health contracts negotiated in the past several months, and protects wages that had been threatened for highly trained members of the health care team. While helping to control costs in the health care system, it preserves core benefits to support the continued health and wellness of the members of the modern health care team who deliver the health care services British Columbians count on every day,” said Val Avery, chair of the HSPBA bargaining committee, and a physiotherapist at Victoria General Hospital.
A majority of health science professionals are represented by the Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSABC/NUPGE). Other unions in the Association are the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU/NUPGE), Professional Employees Association (PEA), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU).
More information:
Health Sciences Association of British Columbia
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