Nurses reach tentative agreement with Health employers

PRINCE GEORGE — The BC Nurses Union has reached a tentative agreement with health employers and is unanimously recommending ratification.

The tentative agreement includes improvements to benefits coverage, access to the enhanced mandate monies in addition to a wage increase of 12 per cent over four years, workplace safety, violence prevention measures and other provisions aimed at addressing priorities nurses identified throughout the bargaining process.

The ratification vote will take place from June 15 to June 19. All of this after more than 50,000 members voted a record 98.2 per cent in favour of going on strike last week.

“This tentative agreement was reached because nurses across British Columbia came together and showed they were prepared to fight for meaningful change,” said BCNU President Adriane Gear. “The record strike mandate shifted the balance of power at the bargaining table and gave the committee the leverage to push harder, stay at the table longer, and secure meaningful gains for nurses across the province. The bargaining committee believes this represents the strongest agreement achievable through negotiations in this round of bargaining.”