A tentative agreement has been reached by the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) on behalf of community health workers across the province.
The BCGEU spent months negotiating with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) who represent the employers of over 26,000 community health workers in BC.
These workers provide essential services such as home support, working in shelters and supportive housing, clinics, detox, treatment programs, mental-health group homes as well as regional health units.
This field of work is frequently faced with recruitment and retention challenges which are driven by inequities, unstable working conditions and the pressures that can arise as a result of these challenges.
“Fixing long-standing inequities for community health workers is how we protect and strengthen community-based care—and that’s what members fought for in this round of bargaining,” said Scott De Long, Bargaining Chair and BCGEU Vice-President.
“This tentative agreement reflects the strength and solidarity members showed throughout bargaining, including a powerful strike vote, that the bargaining committee is pleased to take to the membership for ratification.”
Primarily, the BCGEU was fighting to achieve better pay for community health workers along with better job security and working conditions.
BCGEU says that the community health workers’ new tentative agreement addresses all of these matters and looks to improve upon staffing shortages as well.
“Our members have always known that we can only tackle these issues if the frontlines have access to fairer pay and stronger protections,” added De Long,
“BC’s healthcare system is highly interdependent. For it to truly function, all services must be supported equally, and that starts with respecting and valuing the workers who provide those services.”
In the coming weeks, a bargaining committee will finalize the deal and BCGEU members will have the opportunity to vote in ratifying the agreement.
Their previous collective agreement expired on March 31st, 2025.
