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The union representing nurses in British Columbia says it will put up pickets around the province’s largest hospital starting next week as it escalates its strike.
BC Nurses’ Union says in a statement it will picket Vancouver General Hospital on Tuesday, five days after members voted in favour of a strike.
The union says it will maintain essential services to protect patient safety, but continue its provincewide refusal of all non-essential overtime hours and non-nursing duties.
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Union president Adriane Gear says nurses don’t want to be on the picket line, but adds the provincial government can no longer ignore the demands of the health-care system.
The announcement from the union comes after 98.2 per cent of almost 51,000 nurses voted in favour of job actions and after 67 per cent members of rejected a tentative agreement.
Jim Gould, who is the union’s chief executive officer, says it’s up to the provincial government to come to the table with an offer that respects nurses.
“This government is not going to solve the nursing shortage without making serious improvements to nurses’ working conditions,” he says.
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