Staffing shortages of nurses at locations including the South Okanagan General Hospital are one of the issues the B.C. Nurses Union has in their sights during their upcoming collective bargaining. (File photo)
100 Mile Free Press – Brennan Phillips – Oct 29 2024
Hundreds are expected in Penticton over Oct. 28 and 29
Members of the B.C. Nurses Union of the Interior are in Penticton for two days to prepare for collective bargaining and contract negotiations.
Nurses from the East and West Kootenay regions, the Okanagan Similkameen and the Thompson North Okanagan will be in Penticton for the two-day conference to plan the bargaining agenda.
“Our union bargaining conferences are an opportunity for attendees to identify common challenges, share experiences and identify key bargaining priorities as we head into Nurses’ Bargaining Association provincial contract negotiations next year,” said BCNU president Adriane Gear. “Temporary emergency department closures in communities throughout Interior Health and across the province are yet another example of how nurses are routinely left to make up for employers’ lack of resource planning – a trend that is deeply concerning for nurses who are trying their best to provide care.”
The previous round of bargaining included wage increases, nurse recruitment and retention incentives and other significant gains.
The conference in Penticton is one of six being held across the various health authority regions in the province between October and January of 2025.
