B.C. Nurses' Union praises 'groundbreaking' commitment in tentative labour deal with province

More than 51,000 registered, psychiatric, and licensed practical nurses in British Columbia have reached a tentative contract with the provincial government, with the nurses' union calling it a "groundbreaking commitment".

The province's Health Employers Association issued a statement on Friday saying it reached the agreement with members of the Nurses' Bargaining Association.

The nurses in the bargaining association are represented by the B.C. Nurses' Union, the Health Sciences Association, the Union of Psychiatric Nurses, the Hospital Employees' Union and the British Columbia General Employees' Union.

Affected nurses work in a variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care homes, home-care environments and public health.

While the province did not release details on the terms of the new deal, it says the contract includes an agreement on policy-based initiatives as part of its human resource strategy, which it previously said will optimize the health system, expand training and improve recruitment and retention within the field.

It says more details will be available after the ratification process is completed. The Nurses' Union said their members will vote to ratify the agreement starting April 20.

The union added in a statement that the tentative agreement came after an all-night negotiation session between the employers and union representatives.

"The proposed terms of settlement include record-setting compensation for B.C.'s nurses, a groundbreaking commitment from the provincial government to support mandatory nurse-patient ratios, as well as many meaningful incentives to help retain nurses today and attract the nurses needed for the future," the statement read.

Staff shortages, partially blamed on poor retention, have been a continuing theme for much of B.C.'s health-care sector over the past three years.