With ongoing uncertainty in negotiations with several public sector unions, B.C. nurses and their employer - the Health Employers Association of B.C. - are gearing up for their own contract talks.
Both sides say they're optimistic, but realistic, as they approach preliminary negotiations in advance of the March 31 contract expiry.
"We've not officially started," says union president Deb McPherson. "We've been doing the pre-bargaining explorations."
She said there's time booked in February to begin meeting with the employer to hammer out the next contract.
The current collective agreement - negotiated in April 2009 prior to the government's net-zero mandate - included wage increases of three per cent in 2010 and 2011.
"You know, I'm optimistic and realistic," McPherson said, when asked about the likelihood of a speedy resolution.
"Our members' number 1 concern is safe staffing (levels)," she said. "Our hospitals are bulging at the seams. When we talk about safe staffing, that's saying 'we can't provide safe care in this environment.'"
She pointed to the recent case of ER patients in Royal Columbian Hospital overflowing into temporary beds in the lobby as an example of "hallway care".
"That's not the way to be delivering safe, effective care," she said.
She also noted job security as another key area that the Burnaby-based union will be focusing on.
McPherson says the nurses' contract is important in ensuring the safe delivery of care to patients today, but also through the coming years as new, young nurses may be persuaded to leave B.C. if they can't find employment or if working conditions are too taxing.
"We worked very hard to increase our training capacity (in B.C.) and we now have about 1,000 new nurses graduating each year," she said. "The last two years, about 40 per cent achieved employment in B.C., and very few got regular or full-time."
Just over the border in Alberta, new facilities are creating a demand for hundreds of nurses she says.
"We're seeing migration to other jurisdictions, certainly," she said.
Michael Marchbank, the president and CEO of the Health Employers Association of B.C., says they're also optimistic about a speedy negotiation, but they're facing financial realities from the provincial government that can't be ignored.
"We will begin bargaining with the nurses' bargaining association later this month and we'll be seeking an agreement that is good for nurses and patients but any agreement must also consider the current financial and economic challenges facing B.C.," he said.
"While government has been clear that there is no new money to fund wage increases and there is no desire to download these costs onto families and future generations, there is not a net-zero mandate," he added.
Marchbank says that under the cooperative gains mandate, they can consider additional compensation for employees if they can find savings in existing budgets through innovations and efficiencies.
"We don't underestimate the challenge ahead, however we are hopeful that we can make changes that will fund improvements for employees. ... Having successfully negotiated agreements with the (nurses' union) in the past, we are looking forward to building on that good work and productive discussions at the table and are hopeful that we can reach an agreement ... that will result in no disruption in services."
The HEABC coordinates human resources and labour relations interests of more than 270 publicly funded health care employers in B.C. and negotiates five major provincial agreements covering more than 100,000 unionized health care employees including nurses, health science professionals, physician residents and support workers.
The B.C. Nurses Union represents about 32,000 people provincewide.
www.twitter.com/ChristinaMyersA
