President's Message

On July 2, we make history.

At 12:01 p.m. PT, nurses across BC will begin job action – starting with a province-wide ban on all non-nursing duties.

This marks the first Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) job action in decades. It is a defining moment for our union and the beginning of the next phase of our fight for a fair contract. Together, we have an opportunity to reshape the future of nursing in British Columbia. With extraordinary solidarity, courage and resolve from members, this job action can help usher in a new era in nurses’ power.

For far too long, members have carried a health-care system stretched beyond its limits. Every shift, they face unsafe patient loads, increasingly complex patient needs and an epidemic of workplace violence. At the same time, they are expected to perform countless duties that have little or nothing to do with nursing – tasks that take us away from providing direct patient care at a time when there are not enough of us.

Nurses are drawing a clear line. Their time, skill and expertise belong to nursing duties, providing the care only they can deliver.

Our message to the employer has been clear from the beginning: nurses and patients deserve better. The government’s bargaining mandate for this round, including the three percent general wage increase per year over four years, falls well short of what is needed to recruit and retain nurses, address the staffing crisis and build a sustainable health-care system. Members are not fighting only for themselves. They are fighting to protect every patient who deserves safe, timely and high-quality care. 

I, alongside chief negotiator Jim Gould and the NBA bargaining committee, remain ready to return to negotiations. However, if the employer continues to insist on bargaining within the government's mandate – including a three per cent general wage increase per year – the union is prepared to increase pressure through further job action.

Many members have been waiting for their moment to push back against the conditions that have become all too common in our workplaces. At the same time, many members will also be feeling some uncertainty about this next step. Job action is significant, and it asks something of all of us.

Our success depends entirely on our solidarity. 

Support your co-workers. If you notice your co-workers performing non-nursing duties during this time, don’t assume they are deliberately violating the union’s directions. Ask first and take the opportunity to educate. 

Stay informed. Developments may occur quickly. Share information with each other. Follow your union’s direction.

Today, nurses say “no more.” Today, we begin our fight for a better health-care system for nurses and patients. I thank each and every member for coming along on this journey.

In solidarity,

Adriane Gear
President, BC Nurses' Union