BC nurses to expand strike action to Victoria General and Royal Jubilee hospitals next week

Heads up if you’re visiting a Greater Victoria hospital next week.

The BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) says it will be expanding its job action to several major hospitals on Vancouver Island after bargaining with provincial health employers once again reached an impasse.

On Thursday, the union announced that picket lines will be established at Victoria General Hospital beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 12th, followed by Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Monday, July 13th and Royal Jubilee Hospital and the South Island Surgical Centre on Tuesday, July 14th.

The expansion comes after picketing began this week at hospitals in Metro Vancouver.

BCNU President Adriane Gear said the union believes negotiations have stalled and is calling on the provincial government to provide health employers with a bargaining mandate that allows negotiations to move forward.

“We have reached a critical point in this dispute,” Gear said in a statement.

“Nurses have bargained in good faith, and we’ve taken measured job action while maintaining essential services to protect patient safety.”

The union also announced it has filed an unfair labour practice application with the BC Labour Relations Board.

BCNU alleges it has received more than 2,300 reports from nurses claiming they faced intimidation, coercion or threats while exercising their legal right to participate in job action since July 2nd.

According to the union, the reported incidents include alleged threats of discipline, warnings of potential complaints to the BC College of Nurses and Midwives and pressure to perform non-nursing duties or mandatory overtime.

BCNU says essential services will remain in place throughout the expanded job action, with urgent and emergency care continuing to be provided.

“Nurses do not want to be on picket lines, and we do not want patients to experience disruption,” Gear said. “Every effort has been made to avoid reaching this point.”

As of this publication, Island Health and the provincial government have not publicly responded to Thursday’s announcement.