VANCOUVER — BC nurses have issued a 72-hour strike notice following the rejection of a tentative agreement between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and health employers..The move follows a 67% member vote to reject a tentative collective agreement reached on May 22. The rejected tentative agreement already delivered the province’s standard 12% wage hike over four years, plus improvements to benefits, shift premiums, violence-prevention measures and new funding for minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. It marks a sharp escalation in a protracted dispute that has left nurses citing unsustainable workloads, staffing shortages, workplace violence and what they describe as insufficient recognition of their role in a strained public health system.Between May 8 and 11, more than 50,850 nurses voted 98.2% in favour of job action — the highest such mandate in BCNU history. That pressure produced the May 22 tentative agreement.Members ultimately rejected that deal by 67% during a ratification vote held from June 15 to June 19. While the proposed contract included gains on benefits and shift premiums, nurses said it fell short on a general wage increase and broader measures to address chronic understaffing and safety..For the NDP government under Premier David Eby, the nurses’ action represents another high-profile labour and health-care challenge. Health Minister Josie Osborne said last week that the government was hopeful they could find a resolution, but it now appears so resolution was reached.Healthcare remains a top voter concern, and any significant disruption could amplify criticism of the government’s record on recruitment, retention and system capacity amidst the lowest polling numbers the BC NDP has seen in over a decade.Job action could begin after the notice expires at 12:01 p.m. on July 2 and may include restrictions on non-nursing duties or overtime, short of a full withdrawal of labour. Essential services would remain protected under Labour Relations Board rules. However, the BCNU represents the majority of the province’s roughly 55,000 unionized nurses. Job action by this group has the potential to significantly affect hospital operations, long-term care and community health services across the province.
