Our collective agreement with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) - the contract that outlines our wages, working conditions and more - will expire in 2025. This means that it's time to start preparing to negotiate a new one. 

The negotiation (or bargaining) process has several stages which are outlined below. Every stage is driven by BCGEU members like you, bringing ideas forward to improve your working conditions, and B.C.'s health care system more widely. 

Members working in the health sciences are represented by the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) – a bargaining committee of 17 voting members covering five unions. The Health Sciences Association (HSA) is the lead union with 10 voting members as they represent the most workers. The BCGEU has three voting members on the committee to represent your interests and lead you through each stage of the bargaining process. 

We are currently in stage 1 - determining our bargaining priorities. In the coming days, we will email you a survey to complete about the issues that are most important to you. Please keep an eye on your inbox for the survey and don’t miss your chance to weigh in

A snapshot of the bargaining process: 

1. Determine our bargaining priorities: Our bargaining committee leads members through a process to identify the most important workplace issues to tackle in bargaining. It is important our committee receives responses from a majority of members so we can be confident that the issues identified are representative. We look for the most widely and deeply felt concerns, patterns in grievances and trends compared to previous bargaining rounds.
    
2. Bargain with the employer: Our bargaining committee prepares proposals based on your input, and the employer prepares proposals of their own. Bargaining officially begins when the two parties exchange proposals. Negotiation continues until one of two things happen – either an impasse or a tentative agreement (see below for more). Throughout this stage, you and your co-workers will be asked to engage in collective action to show the employer that we are united, and pressure them to agree to our demands.
   
   
3. If impasse is reached, escalate pressure: An impasse is when the two parties are unable to reach an agreement through negotiation. If an impasse is reached, our bargaining committee may call for us all to take a strike vote. Sometimes the threat of a strike is enough to force the employer back to the table. Sometimes we can avoid a strike by entering into mediation. And sometimes it’s necessary to take job action – such as an overtime ban, work-to-rule and/or a strike. Before taking any job action, our bargaining committee will hold discussions with members to make sure everyone is ready to act together.
   
   
4. Vote on a tentative agreement: Eventually we will reach a tentative agreement – whether through negotiation alone or after mediation or job action. Once the two parties reach a tentative agreement, you will receive a package of information outlining the details of the tentative agreement, and our bargaining committee will hold ratification meetings to make sure everyone understands what’s in the deal. Then you and your co-workers will vote on the tentative agreement. If a majority of members vote in favour, the agreement is ratified as our new collective agreement. If members vote down the tentative agreement, the bargaining process resumes until a new tentative agreement is reached. 

You can also check out this infographic that illustrates the bargaining journey over time.

P.S. It is important to note that tens of thousands of other BCGEU members under five other agreements in B.C.'s public sector will also be negotiating new collective agreements in 2025. Because our agreement and their agreements are negotiated with essentially the same employer – the B.C. provincial government – our union is taking a coordinated strategic approach to ensure our employer knows we are aware of our collective power and are prepared to use it if needed. We will keep you informed of any coordination efforts as they are made. 

In solidarity, 

Mahen Ramdharry
BCGEU vice-president for Health Services (Component 4) 

UWU/MoveUP