Government orders end to strike by paramedics
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Updated: November 04, 2009 2:47 PM
The provincial government is forcing the BC Ambulance paramedics to end their strike, calling for “all hands on deck” during this time of influenza.
“Right now a labour dispute is not in the best interests of British Columbians and I am really appealing to the paramedics to put aside our disputes,” said Health Minister Kevin Falcon.
Falcon said the one-year retroactive contract will run for another five months and provides the three per cent increase the paramedics had asked for and the appointment of an industrial inquiry commissioner to make recommendations on how to address the system. Falcon also acknowledged the concerns with rural paramedics and how the government is committed to fixing those issues.
According to Falcon and emergency and health services commission executive officer Lee Doney, the 127 managers in the province that are not part of the union have been working 70-80 hours a week to keep up with the day-to-day activities that paramedics have not been doing because of the strike. This has been causing a stress on the system and they are seeing higher numbers of illness and burnout especially now that B.C. is getting hit with the H1N1 pandemic.
The union’s regional vice-president Brad Fraser says the paramedics union currently has an offer on the bargaining table from the government and were supposed to have until Friday to count their ballots. He believes the issue really is the impending Olympics and the fact it was promised to VANOC that ambulance service would be provided.
“It is very, very discouraging and I am disappointed. They have been forcing the same offer on us since before April. They had no motivation to negotiate with us at all,” said Fraser. “Blaming this on public safety, H1N1 and managers working hours and saying it has nothing to do with the Olympics, I know politicians lie but that is just gross injustice.”
Falcon said even though there is already an essential services order in place, he claims that there have been increased rates of absenteeism and increased examples of people not responding to call-ins. He added that some communities have gone without services entirely on some days. Doney said there are too many stresses on the management structure and other supports.
“What we are saying is after seven months those support structures, the management structures, they are all at a high state of risk right now and we are really at a state of risk as we move into influenza season of really not being able to provide the people with the protection they need,” said Doney.
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