NBA: We took NBA Members’ OHS demands to the employer
Posted
November 6, 2025
On Nov 3 and 4, your Nurses Bargaining Association (NBA) provincial bargaining committee met with employer representatives in Victoria. The committee presented 16 proposals all related to desperately needed health and safety improvements that will support nurse retention and the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.
We've heard countless reports of rising violent incidents in health-care settings in recent years, with WorkSafeBC registering an average of 46 time-loss claims per month due to violence. As recently as last week, nurses and patients at Cowichan District Hospital found themselves in harm’s way again as a car crashed through the entrance of the ER, while in Maple Ridge, reports emerged of a patient assaulting a nurse at a mental health facility.
The committee’s message to the employer was clear: enough is enough – it’s time to take health and safety seriously and create solutions to an unsafe workplace.
Thanks to the NBA members who shared their thoughts on bargaining with the committee, including those who recently filled out the benefits survey, we tabled bold, innovative, and no-holds-barred proposals that aim to keep nurses and patients safe, including the implementation of AI weapons detection, and creating a clear and enforceable process for reporting psychological hazards in the workplace. Since this employer has failed to keep members safe, proposals focused on ensuring nurses receive improved WorkSafeBC and long-term disability benefits. The committee was able to take members’ voices directly to the employer and present a damning case demanding change.
While the employer did not have an opportunity to respond to the committee’s OHS proposals (they will at a later date), their rejection of the data-sharing proposals the NBA tabled in October did not inspire confidence. Their refusal to agree to relatively straightforward items underscores what the NBA bargaining committee has been saying all along: this will be a difficult round of negotiations and will require members to demonstrate unprecedented unity and remain steadfast.
Bargaining Watch - Union Members Build Power
Across Canada, union members have been demonstrating that when we stand together, we can win.
We've heard countless reports of rising violent incidents in health-care settings in recent years, with WorkSafeBC registering an average of 46 time-loss claims per month due to violence. As recently as last week, nurses and patients at Cowichan District Hospital found themselves in harm’s way again as a car crashed through the entrance of the ER, while in Maple Ridge, reports emerged of a patient assaulting a nurse at a mental health facility.
The committee’s message to the employer was clear: enough is enough – it’s time to take health and safety seriously and create solutions to an unsafe workplace.
Thanks to the NBA members who shared their thoughts on bargaining with the committee, including those who recently filled out the benefits survey, we tabled bold, innovative, and no-holds-barred proposals that aim to keep nurses and patients safe, including the implementation of AI weapons detection, and creating a clear and enforceable process for reporting psychological hazards in the workplace. Since this employer has failed to keep members safe, proposals focused on ensuring nurses receive improved WorkSafeBC and long-term disability benefits. The committee was able to take members’ voices directly to the employer and present a damning case demanding change.
While the employer did not have an opportunity to respond to the committee’s OHS proposals (they will at a later date), their rejection of the data-sharing proposals the NBA tabled in October did not inspire confidence. Their refusal to agree to relatively straightforward items underscores what the NBA bargaining committee has been saying all along: this will be a difficult round of negotiations and will require members to demonstrate unprecedented unity and remain steadfast.
Bargaining Watch - Union Members Build Power
Across Canada, union members have been demonstrating that when we stand together, we can win.
- With HSA members proudly at their side, members of the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) recently undertook an eight-week-long strike that forced their employer back to the table. Their bold action helped push wages and working conditions forward despite the government’s current financial situation. NBA members extend their thanks to BCGEU members for advancing the fight for a contract that respects public sector workers.
- The BCGEU tentative agreement will influence the speed and pace of NBA contract negotiations, as we are waiting to confirm that the agreement signals a new wage mandate from the government. We anticipate that NBA members will benefit from BCGEU’s efforts, but the employer has yet to confirm information regarding the mandate.
- In Alberta, teachers are standing firm in their fight for reasonable classroom sizes despite their government legislating them back to work using the notwithstanding clause. Canada’s unions support these union members’ right to strike and to negotiate a fair contract.
- Closer to home, and also with HSA members supporting the picket line, Unite Here Local 40 members at the Coast Hotel Victoria recently secured major gains after taking bold job action, proving once again that when workers are united and ready to act, employers have no choice but to listen.
Every one of these victories sends a clear message: progress doesn’t happen because employers or governments decide it’s time – it happens because union members demand it, together.
As we head deeper into this bargaining round, the same lesson applies to nurses across the province. Real improvements to safety, staffing, and respect at work will only come through solidarity, unity, and readiness to act when called upon. Together, we have the power to win the safer, fairer workplaces every member deserves.
As we head deeper into this bargaining round, the same lesson applies to nurses across the province. Real improvements to safety, staffing, and respect at work will only come through solidarity, unity, and readiness to act when called upon. Together, we have the power to win the safer, fairer workplaces every member deserves.
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