Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid on Monday announced that new nursing legislation had been signed into law, bringing licensed practical nurses under the same bargaining structure as the B.C. Nurses’ Union.
A 3% wage increase is now in effect for registered psychiatric nurses covered by the Nurses’ Bargaining Association provincial contract.
You can see your new wage rate here.
In a recent letter from human resources managers at Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, employees have been told they will be moving to a five-day 7.5 hour work week and that nine-day fortnights and EDOs will be eradicated.
The letter completely misrepresents the negotiated agreement reached on the shift to a 37.5 hour work week from the current 36 hour work week worked by health science professionals, says HSA’s Executive Director of Legal and Labour Relations Jeanne Meyers.
BY REID JOHNSON
PRESIDENT, HSA
As The Report magazine went to press, our community social service members were just voting on their tentative agreement. But for most members, another hard round of bargaining has come to an end.
Following the March 6, 2013 ratification of the HSPBA collective agreement, a wage increase of 2 per cent for all members, excluding pharmacists, will be implemented. This increase is effective the first pay period following ratification, which is the pay period of March 15 to 28. Members are currently receiving pay stubs for the pay period of March 1 to 14. There is no wage increase effective for that period.
Members are encouraged to check their pay stubs to ensure the increases are applied.
Are you a registered psychiatric nurse with a disability date of April 1, 2012 or later? If you have applied for Long Term Disability benefits and are in the LTD waiting period or you are appealing a decision of the LTD carrier, you may be eligible for premium maintenance for Health and Welfare benefits (Medical, Extended Health, Dental, Group Life and AD&D and LTD premiums). In order to be eligible you must meet the following criteria:
Community social service professionals represented by HSA are invited to participate in a joint multi-union bargaining association telephone town hall scheduled for next week.
Telephone town hall meeting details:
Further to the 2012-2014 collective agreement between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and Health Employers’ Association of BC, the parties have agreed to move the effective date for full implementation of the Pharmacare tie-in to June 1, 2013.
The BlueNet direct-pay card will also be implemented June 1, 2013. The BlueNet Card allows direct-pay at the pharmacy for eligible prescriptions, instead of the current system of paying up front, and later submitting receipts for reimbursement.
Further to the recently ratified collective agreement between the Health Science Professionals’ Bargaining Association and Health Employers’ Association of BC, the parties have agreed to move the effective date for full implementation of the Pharmacare tie-in to June 1, 2013. Further, the 90-day grace period will be extended to August 31, 2013.
The B.C. Liberal government began debate last week on Bill 18, legislation that fundamentally alters bargaining in the health sector.
In a brief opening to the debate in the B.C. legislature, health minister Margaret MacDiarmid claimed the legislation was in line with last year’s raid by the BC Nurses’ Union on Licenced Practical Nurses represented by HEU and other unions. She then flew to Vancouver to announce Bill 18 at the BCNU convention.
