Union representing B.C. LifeLabs workers called back to bargaining table on first day of job action
As more than 1,500 members who work for LifeLabs in B.C. began job action Saturday, their union said the company had unexpectedly asked them to resume negotiations.
“We think that’s a positive sign, we’re cautiously optimistic,” said Paul Finch, the treasurer of the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU).
Nearly a hundred workers rallied outside the company’s B.C. headquarters in Burnaby Saturday afternoon, shouting, waving flags, and carrying signs calling for “fair wages” with messages that included: “If healthcare heroes are outside, something is wrong inside.”
LifeLabs and the union have been negotiating since April, according to the company.
According to Finch, discussions broke down in the middle of the week, when agreements couldn’t be reached on two key issues.
“One is a fair wage,” Finch said. “Fair compensation for the work. And the other is a pension plan that affords collective security.”
As of Saturday, workers at 94 LifeLabs locations in the province will be rejecting overtime, and working-to-rule.
According to the union that means they will be “performing their jobs precisely as outlined in their job descriptions and their last collective agreement.”
Mandy De Fields, the BCGEU’s bargaining unit chairperson said the return to negotiations, expected Saturday evening, showed that the “pressure is working.”
“We’re doing what we need to (do to) keep up and keep applying that pressure until we get that fair deal,” she said.
Among their concerns, Finch explained, are that public sector workers who work in hospitals are paid between 4.5 and 13.5 per cent more for performing the same duties as their LifeLabs counterparts.
“It’s an issue to the point where LifeLabs has had to temporarily close some of their facilities throughout the pandemic, because of (a) recruitment and retention issue,” Finch said.
If negotiations remain at an impasse, Finch said, job action could escalate to rotating strikes as soon as Monday.
In a statement on Saturday, LifeLabs said that all of its locations remain open according to their regular schedules.
“LifeLabs is hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the BCGEU in this current round of negotiations and avoid closure of any patient service centres,” the statement read.
It added it was committed “to taking all steps possible to minimize disruption to patients and health care providers.”
The company has previously said that while it has been designated an essential service, if strikes happen, some locations could be closed, and patients with appointments that are impacted will be contacted directly.
While the move could potentially impact wait times across the province for patients of the largest diagnostic lab company in the country, a few dozen locations where workers are not unionized, would be unaffected.
LifeLabs is asking patients to monitor its website for up-to-date information on any changes to its opening hours.
The union said it also plans to post a list of strike locations on its website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.