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Members of the BC Nurses’ Union picket outside Surrey Memorial Hospital in B.C. on Thursday.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The BC Nurses’ Union says it’s entering mediation in its dispute with employers and will wind down picketing from tomorrow night in recognition of the process.
President Adriane Gear says the appointment of mediators is a positive development in the dispute which had recently seen escalations in job action, and all picketing will end from 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The union says talks with the health employers association are now under way, and while this is recognized by the lifting of pickets, a provincewide ban on non-nursing duties and a restriction on overtime remain in effect.
A picket line was put up at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital earlier Monday, while pickets were set up in Vancouver and Surrey last week.
Veteran mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers were appointed on Friday to help settle the disagreement between the nurses and the employers.
Gear says the union that represents 60,000 nurses across B.C. is entering mediation with “cautious optimism,” but there’s still significant work ahead on issues including staffing levels, safety, workloads and pay.