Agreement finally reached on Bill 29 Settlement
BC unions representing over 40,000 health care workers, including UFCW 1518 members, have finalized an agreement with the provincial government to implement the Supreme Court of Canada ruling on Bill 29 -- the ruling that found several sections of Campbell’s Bill 29 to be unconstitutional.
The agreement includes expansion of rights and protections for members, as well as significant financial compensation and re-training opportunities for those members who have been harmed by positions being contracted out, enhanced severance and retirement provisions, expanded rights to bid on jobs province-wide, and a commitment to provide information on outsourcing.
For the last six years, the Campbell Liberal’s Bill 29 has impacted many health care sectors, including Community Health Care Workers, and UFCW 1518 continues to be actively involved to ensure the jobs and rights of these members are protected.
Specifics on the agreement that affect UFCW 1518 Community Health members includes:
- Doubled severance for workers impacted by contracting, which includes one week severance for every year of service, compared to one week for two years of service, as was previously practiced
- $4 million lump sum payment -- $1.5 million compensation to individuals impacted, $2.5 million for retraining and mitigation
- An obligation for the employers to engage in ‘good faith’ consultation and proper notification of future contracting out, and opportunity to propose alternative to contracting out
- Expanded rights to bidding for health sector jobs across all 6 Health Authorities in the province, and reimbursement and relocation expenses up to an agreed amount
- Restoration of service and seniority rights for members whose jobs are returned to direct service
“Health care workers throughout B.C. have been gravely affected by Bill 29,” says UFCW 1518 President Ivan Limpright. “It is good to see there is finally a settlement for the workers who were impacted that recognizes their basic rights.”
“What the B.C. Liberals did by creating Bill 29 was a bald-faced attempt to take away the jobs and rights of union members, and that is just plain wrong,” he says. “Community Health Care Workers like our members provide a critical service to the citizens of this province, and it’s past time the Liberal government begins to recognize the important role these members play in BC Health Care.”
