Facilities negotiations on pause after several weeks of productive talks

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The multi-union facilities bargaining committee will be taking a break from talks after logging six months of bargaining for a new collective agreement.

Despite strong momentum at the bargaining table, the FBA unions are pausing negotiations to show their support to BCGEU members who may be engaged in job action at government ministries and agencies next week.

In the last few weeks, the FBA bargaining committee has secured agreements with the employer – represented by the Health Employers’ Association of B.C. — in areas including employee-initiated rotation and schedule changes, Work from Home arrangements, a more comprehensive complaints investigation process, and improvements to maternity and parental leave.

“Our multi-union committee is also engaged in active and productive discussions with the employer on inflation-fighting wage increases, improvements to various premiums and allowances, and addressing the impact of historic wage cuts on health care workers,” says Meena Brisard, Hospital Employees’ Union secretary-business manager.

“We are also empowering members with new language to tackle harassment, and new tools to reduce six-day rotations and make other scheduling changes that improve work-life balance and reduce burnout.”

The nine-union Facilities Bargaining Association represents more than 60,000 health care workers employed in a wide-range of health settings – more than 90 per cent are HEU members.

Negotiations with HEABC started last February and the collective agreement expired on March 31, 2022. Dates for the resumption of Facilities talks have not yet been scheduled.

Most other major public sector unions including BCTF, BCNU, HSA, CUPE and MoveUp have either not yet started talks, or have taken a break during the summer.

On Friday, the BCGEU served strike notice on the Public Service Agency on behalf of their 33,000 members in public service bargaining unit who work for direct government. Talks between BCGEU and PSA broke down July 4.