Nurses covered by the Provincial Collective Agreement have voted almost 85 percent in favour of accepting a two year contract negotiated by the Nurses’ Bargaining Association.

The contract gives nurses the tools to reduce heavy workload, improve patient care, add more RNs/RPNs, increase your earnings and build your pension.

It contains clear, enforceable provisions that recognize and respect the clinical judgment of nurses, particularly when it comes to calling in more nurses to meet the needs of patients.

BCNU will be working hard to ensure members understand their rights under the new contract, that managers respect those rights and that the contract is enforced.

BCNU is confident that the agreement will make a positive difference to members in improving workload, job security and compensation, which were members’ top bargaining priorities

The government says:

The agreement provides a three per cent wage increase offset through initiatives such as reduced over-time hours by moving to a 37.5-hour work week, leveraging savings through shared services, and continuing to drive down administrative costs, while also ensuring that patients continue to have access to quality care.

The agreement specifically targets nurse workload and improvements to patient care and supports the addition of 2,125 full-time nurses to the health-care system over the next four years. In addition, the agreement creates more regular full-time and part-time positions from casual pools and nurses and managers will now work together to address workload challenges.