Members of the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU)—of which there are 278 members in Squamish at the Squamish General Hospital and Hilltop House—will soon be voting on a deal with their employer, Good Samaritan Canada.
According to an HEU news release, union representatives reached a tentative deal on Nov. 3 after five days of negotiations for a renewed five-year collective agreement covering about 1,100 healthcare workers at seven long-term care facilities across B.C.
The contract includes “significant compensation improvements” and “job security guarantees,” according to HEU secretary-business manager, Meena Brisard, in the release.
“Members were clear they wanted a fair compensation package that would support better working conditions and better care for seniors,” said Brisard in the release. “And thanks to the members’ solidarity and support, and the successful strike actions in October, there now is a tentative agreement with Good Samaritan Canada that goes a long way to deliver on those demands.”
Members from all seven Good Samaritan facilities will review the tentative agreement and put it to a vote between Nov. 15 and 24.
HEU members have been without a contract for more than three-and-a-half years.
Following job action by members at two sites in October, both the union and employer agreed to five days of talks with mediator Amanda Rogers last week
Employer responds
"Good Samaritan Canada remains committed to the collective bargaining process," said James Frey, director of communications and fund development for Good Samaritan, in an emailed statement.
"We are pleased the agreement has been accepted in principle and hope for a positive outcome of the ratification vote."
Brisard said the progress HEU members made with the employer should improve staff recruitment and retention at these facilities, but she called on the provincial government to do more.
"There is still an urgent need for the government to fulfil its 2020 election promise to restore standard wages, benefits and working conditions in seniors’ care that were dismantled by the previous BC Liberal government," she said in the release.
Ministry of Health responds
In response, the Ministry of Health sent an emailed statement from the Minister of Health, Adrian Dix:
“I’ve delivered on that promise. The province started funding temporary wage increases for staff working in long-term care and assisted living as part of the implementation of a provincial health officer order on April 10, 2020. The wage increases gave workers the same hourly wages as their counterparts in the applicable Health Employers Association of British Columbia collective agreement. When the order ended on Dec. 31, 2022, we decided to continue funding fair wages," he said in the statement.
“In addition, since I've been Minister of Health, we got rid of the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act (then-Bill 29, enacted in 2002) and the Health Sector Partnerships Agreement Act (then-Bill 94, enacted in 2003), which contributed to job loss, decreased wages and employee benefits.
“We brought in the Health Sector Statutes Repeal Act on July 1, 2019, which returned thousands of workers across our healthcare system back to working directly for the regional health authorities. Repatriation improved wages and benefits, improved job stability and reduced employee turnover...."
Dix noted over the last five years, the provincial government has invested $2 billion in seniors' care.
"We will continue to focus on wage levelling, increasing staffing levels in long-term and community care, increasing direct care hours, and actively working with health authorities on the development of a long-term care funding model," he said.
