Nurses ratify new agreement by 61% margin

Nurses in British Columbia have said yes to a new agreement with the provincial government.

The BC Nurses Union says members of the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) voted 61 per cent to ratify a new three-year collective agreement with B.C.’s health employers, effective April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025.

In total, 40,526 BCNU members cast a ballot and 61 per cent of NBA members voted in favour of the tentative agreement reached on March 31, 2023.

The contract applies to nurses working in acute care, community, public health, long-term care, and other settings within the province’s health-care system.

The agreement includes the following general wage increases for all employees:

Year 1: $0.25 / hr plus 3.24 per cent, retroactive to April 1, 2022

Year 2: 6.75%, retroactive to April 1, 2023

Year 3: 2% increase, plus a potential cost-of-living adjustment (to a maximum of 3%)

In addition to the general wage increase, the collective agreement includes a significant wage schedule redesign that provides meaningful wage gains including new increment steps at years 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 . There are also significant increases to shift premiums, on-call rates, responsibility pay and isolation travel allowance.

“There are many incentives in this new agreement that will help retain the nurses in the system now and attract the nurses we need in the future,” BCNU President Aman Grewal, said. “For too long, nurses have been providing patient care amidst a severe nurse shortage and heavy workloads. This agreement recognizes our members’ dedication and sacrifice and includes significant investments to recruit more nurses into the profession.”

The BCNU says the agreement also includes improvements in job flexibility and access to leaves, and investments in workplace health and safety. New contract language will also advance the principles of diversity, equity and inclusivity to ensure all BCNU members are welcome in their workplace.

The ratification of the collective agreement secures the following funding agreements reached between the NBA and provincial government:

• $750 million dollars to support the implementation of minimum nurse-patient ratios ($200M, $250M and $300M ongoing), making BC the first province in Canada
• $100 million dollars to establish a nurse support fund and career laddering opportunities for LPNs to become RNs
• $108.6 million dollars in ongoing funding to support retention strategies that include, but are not limited to, mentorship and preceptorship incentives.

The NBA and HEABC reached this agreement after months of negotiations that began in December 2022.

BCNU’s bargaining unit consists of nurses from all health-care sectors, including community, long-term care, acute and public health.