Nurses in British Columbia will picket the province’s largest hospital next week

Nurses in British Columbia are escalating their strike action by planning to picket the province's largest hospital next week. The BC Nurses’ Union announced the picket at Vancouver General Hospital will begin Tuesday, five days after members voted in favor of a strike.

Members of the union voted overwhelmingly in favor of job action, with 98.2 percent of nearly 51,000 nurses supporting it. However, 67 percent of members rejected a tentative agreement, leading to the current escalation. The union stated it will continue to maintain essential services to ensure patient safety while refusing all non-essential overtime and non-nursing duties.

“

nurses don’t want to be on the picket line, but adds the provincial government can no longer ignore the demands of the health-care system.

Union president Adriane Gear emphasized that nurses do not wish to be on the picket line but feel the provincial government is ignoring the critical demands of the healthcare system. Jim Gould, the union's chief executive officer, stated that the government needs to present a fair offer that respects nurses. He added that significant improvements to working conditions are necessary to resolve the ongoing nursing shortage.

“

This government is not going to solve the nursing shortage without making serious improvements to nurses’ working conditions.