AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE WHO WORK FOR LIFELABS

We are writing as a follow up to our April 15^th bulletin and to announce an opportunity for you to bring your voice to our strategies to address the issues workers at Lifelabs are experiencing.

We have heard from those that work at Lifelabs about a variety of issues, including: the availability and use of effective PPE, making the work safe during this pandemic, the temporary closures of PSCs and the reduction in work for the MLS, and the call for some sort of incentive or danger pay during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have put out bulletins on the use of PPE and how to address unsafe work practices. Those bulletins can be found on our Covid-19 micro site at: https://www.bcgeu.ca/covid

Some of our pertinent bulletins on this include:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for BCGEU members: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/bcgeu/pages/11629/attachments/original/1587481138/Personal_Protective_Equipment_%28PPE%29__Guidance_for_BCGEU_members_interacting_with_the_public_during_COVID-19.pdf?1587481138

Your right to refuse unsafe work: https://www.bcgeu.ca/your_right_to_refuse_unsafe_work

Covid-19 update for Lifelabs members: https://www.bcgeu.ca/covid-19_update_for_lifelabs_members

We are committed to providing you with the most up to date information, working to address your issues at the worksite and ensuring your rights are protected.

No one knows the issues at the worksite as well as you, the workers, do. You know the day-to-day impacts of the various issues and we have relied on you to tell us about those details, along with your ideas on how to address them. We need your involvement on educating us on the issues and working with us to address them. We are in this together.

With that in mind, we are creating a Lifelabs Covid-19 Action Committee. We are inviting you to be part of this committee. This committee will meet by video conference regularly. We will provide paid leaves from work for participation in the committee where practical. We would like to have representatives on this committee from every Lifelabs worksite. The committee will also include the BCGEU's negotiator for your next collective agreement. We want to be prepared for the next round of bargaining and will be asking this committee to help with that as well.

If you wish to be part of the Lifelabs Covid-19 Action Committee, please fill out the short form found on this link: https://www.bcgeu.ca/join_lifelabs_action. We plan to have the committee meet in the very near future, so if you are interested in being part of this important committee, please let us know without delay.

Our members provide a critical and importance service to all British Columbians and the important and dedicated work you do must be respected.

In Solidarity

Mahen Ramdharry

Vice President, Health Services Component

(Component 4)