Overview
- Negotiations between the BC Nurses' Union and the Health Employers Association broke off, prompting the union to escalate job action with expanded pickets and other measures.
- The union has instituted an overtime ban and instructed members not to perform non‑nursing duties while pickets have appeared at care centres in Surrey and Vancouver.
- A tentative deal from May that offered a 12 percent wage increase over four years was rejected by nearly two thirds of voting members and set the stage for renewed pressure.
- The Health Ministry named veteran mediator Vince Ready to try to restart talks and Premier David Eby said the priority is to get nurses back to work quickly.
- The mediator’s appointment could force a new government mandate for employers or a revised offer and will shape near‑term impacts on patient care and staffing at affected facilities.