News & Updates

Vancouver Sun The second stage of strike action by members of the Health Sciences Association hits B.C. hospitals today. Workers who deliver diagnostic imaging services like X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds will scale back to essential services as part of an effort to pressure the government to come up with a better contract offer. The union's job action began yesterday...

The Daily Bulletin (Kimberley) Hospital pharmacists and medical imaging technicians plan to go ahead with brief strikes Thursday and Friday as a mediator attempts to reach a settlement with 16,000 health science employees at hospitals and clinics across B.C. Mediator Vince Ready was brought in Tuesday after negotiations that started in February failed to produce an agreement. The Health Employers...

Community Health bargaining is scheduled to resume January 7, 2013. When bargaining resumes in the new year, the bargaining committee is looking for the employer to bring a solid offer to the table that meets the needs of the Community Bargaining Association The CBA represents more than 14,000 members, the majority of whom are represented by the BCGEU. Other unions...

Health science professionals began rotating strikes today to put pressure on government to get serious about bargaining a new collective agreement with the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA). Hospital pharmacists reduced services to essential services only. Starting at midnight tonight, health science professionals who deliver diagnostic imaging services will reduce their services to essential services only. This group of...

Comox Valley Record St. Joseph's General Hospital has cancelled about 70 diagnostic imaging scans on Dec. 7 due to medical imaging technicians' job action. The essential-service-only job action is expected to last 24 hours and Jane Murphy, St. Joseph's president and CEO, notes only non-urgent outpatient tests have been cancelled; urgent and inpatient tests have not been cancelled. Diagnostic imaging...

Castlegar News Hospital pharmacists and medical imaging technicians plan to go ahead with brief strikes Thursday and Friday as a mediator attempts to reach a settlement with 16,000 health science employees at hospitals and clinics across B.C. Mediator Vince Ready was brought in Tuesday after negotiations that started in February failed to produce an agreement. The Health Employers Association of...

Nanaimo News Bulletin Byline: Niomi Pearson A two-day strike by health care workers at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and across the province will mean a delay in services for some residents. After nine months of contract negotiations and serving strike notice to B.C. employers, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) announced that job action will commence today and tomorrow...

Cowichan News Leader Pictorial Byline: Peter Rusland Cowichanians whose long-awaited CT-scan dates are bumped by this week's hospital labour strife will be re-booked quickly, health brass promised Thursday. "Those dates will be rescheduled as soon as possible; they wont go back to the bottom of the list," said Suzanne Germain of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. "If someone has not...

Trail Daily Times By Jeff Nagel Source: Surrey North Delta Leader The province has granted a one-year reprieve from its directive that health workers wear a mask this flu season if they refuse to be vaccinated. Those who don't comply won't be disciplined, deputy health minister Graham Whitmarsh said in a Nov. 30 letter to health authorities. Enforcement that was...

Alberni Valley Times The B.C. government has temporarily backed away from a controversial plan to force thousands of provincial health workers to get a flu shot before they can work with patients. Instead of forcing workers to wear a mask or have the mandatory flu vaccination, the B.C. Health Ministry said it will work towards voluntary compliance from workers in...