Hiring of 1,600+ Nurses Will Continue

A BC Labour Relations Board (LRB) hearing that took place yesterday in response to a complaint filed by the Health Sciences Association (HSA) against the BC Nurses' Union saw HSA challenge the legality of the staffing grievance settlement reached last month between BCNU, the health ministry and provincial health employers.

HSA also alleged that BCNU's Hire a Nurse initiative encouraging nurses to apply for full-time positions was being used to gather the personal information of registered psychiatric nurses who are HSA members. This is not true.

As a result of HSA's application, BCNU has agreed to ensure that RPNs who are HSA members do not complete the Hire a Nurse forms on the BCNU website.

BCNU is working diligently with the LRB to resolve outstanding issues and the hearing will resume February 11.  In the meantime, the effort to hire more than 1,600 nurses will continue, and HSA will not be allowed to stand in the way of safe patient care and prevent the relief that over-worked nurses across BC so desperately need.