VANCOUVER

B.C. nurses strike new deal with pay increase

Published Friday, January 25, 2019 2:35PM PST

A New Jersey hospital says a kidney meant for one patient was mistakenly transplanted into another with the same name who was farther down the priority list. (kupicoo/Istock.com)

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VICTORIA - Nurses in British Columbia will get a two per cent annual wage increase in a new three-year collective agreement.

Details of the deal between the Nurses' Bargaining Association and the Health Employers' Association of B.C. also include wage premiums if employers don't meet staffing levels they have agreed to.

Starting on April 1, 2020, nurses will receive an additional $5 an hour if they are working short on a unit, department or program with 10 or fewer scheduled nurses.

There are other premiums as well for nurses who work in units that are understaffed and for those who agree to work a shift on short notice.

The agreement takes effect April 1 and expires March 31, 2022.

The BC Nurses' Union says 54 per cent of the more than 21,000 ballots cast in a ratification vote supported the agreement, which was reached in November.