December 1,2025
RED FM News Desk
B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne says a new agreement will allow thousands of health-care workers to once again be covered by collective bargaining, though it will cost the province an additional $85 million.
More than 5,000 unionized employees in eligible long-term care and assisted living facilities will shift to the provincewide Facilities Collective Agreement over the next two years. These workers had previously faced 15 per cent wage cuts imposed by the former Liberal government in 2004.
Osborne says the transition will bring higher wages, better benefits, and improved senior care by making the jobs more appealing to workers.
The agreement applies to staff in over 100 facilities under the Health Employers Association of B.C. that receive at least half of their funding from the provincial government.
Lynn Bueckert, secretary-business manager for the Hospital Employees’ Union, says the deal is an “important step in restoring fairness in working and care conditions across provincially funded seniors’ homes.”
Bueckert notes that past Liberal government policies promoted “privatization and subcontracting,” enabling operators to opt out of provincewide collective agreements.
Osborne says the changes announced Monday signal a return to a “consistent framework across publicly funded work sites,” though she acknowledged that facilities receiving less than 50 per cent government funding are not included, adding that “more work remains.”
The agreement still requires ratification votes, which are expected to be completed by Dec. 20.
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