The British Columbia Nurses' Union launched its first phase of province-wide job action on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at 12:01 p.
m.
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The move follows the rejection of a tentative contract agreement with the provincial health employer.
A 72-hour strike notice was issued on Monday after 67 percent of voting members turned down the proposed four-year contract.
The union represents 60,000 nurses across British Columbia.
During a vote held between May 8 and 11, 98.2 percent of 50,850 voting members favored job action.
Job Action Details
The current job action focuses on banning non-nursing duties, such as answering phones, processing doctors' orders, and cleaning.
Overtime restrictions are also being implemented.
Union leadership emphasized that nurses will not completely withdraw labor, maintaining essential services and staffing levels despite expected service disruptions.
Negotiations between the union and the Health Employers Association of B. C.
have stalled since May.
The expired collective agreement concluded in March 2025.
The rejected tentative deal from May 22 had included benefit improvements and shift premiums, but members found them insufficient under the current public sector mandate of a three percent annual wage increase.
Union officials highlighted severe systemic pressures, citing approximately 4,500 healthcare staffing vacancies across the province.
These shortages have reportedly driven up workplace injury rates, with statistics showing one nurse enters a WorkSafe BC claim due to violence every 16 hours.
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