Hospital job action called off by B.C. union
Government tabled new offer over the weekend
CBC News
Posted: Dec 10, 2012 7:24 AM PT
Last Updated: Dec 10, 2012 8:49 AM PT
Hospital pharmacists and technologists staged in a two-day rolling strike last week. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
The union representing many B.C. hospital health science professionals has called off rotating strikes planned for this week after the government tabled a new offer over the weekend.
But Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association president Reid Johnson said the proposal is unacceptable, describing it as an effort to goad workers to escalate job action.
"The government dropped a proposal on us that was completely unacceptable and we believe it's because they wanted to see us escalate job action so they have an excuse to impose legislation and impose a contract."
Johnson said the union won't be provoked and will be going back to speak to its members before making its next move.
Last week hospital pharmacists and professionals who conduct X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and other imaging procedures cut back service to essential level, and hospital lab services were to be reduced on Monday.
However, that job action was cancelled Sunday after the B.C. government tabled a proposal just before midnight Saturday for a wage increase of 1.4 percent over two years.
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