News & Updates

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...

There will be no Community Social Services job action between December 17, 2012 and January 6, 2013. Details will be announced shortly regarding next weeks strike action (Dec 10-14) on Vancouver Island. As always, workers will be contacted directly if your agency or workplace is a target for job action. From December 17, its time to take a break and...

Negotiators for health science professionals and health employers have agreed to mediation nine months after bargaining began. Mediator Vince Ready was brought in by the parties this week. -We are pleased to have Mr. Ready join us in trying to kick-start meaningful negotiations," said Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) Chief Negotiator Jeanne Meyers. -And weve already seen the benefit...

Vancouver SUn By Terri Theodore, The Canadian Press The province's health care workers objected to the mandatory vaccination program saying it was coercive and punitive.Photograph by: Jeff Mcintosh, The Canadian Press Files , The Canadian PressThe 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...