A two-year tentative labour agreement has been reached with the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association.

"This agreement keeps patients needs at the forefront by ensuring service stability," said Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid. "News of today's tentative agreement means that we have now ratified or reached tentative agreements with all bargaining associations in the health sector."

The two-year agreement provides for modest wage increases offset by savings found within the 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate. If ratified by health employers and members of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association, the agreement would be effective from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2014.

The Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association represents more than 16,000 front-line health workers in more than 100 different specialized disciplines that provide diagnostic, clinical and rehabilitation services. The diverse membership ranges from medical laboratory technologists to physiotherapists to social workers. The Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association covers several unions including the Health Sciences Association, BCGEU, CUPE, PEA and HEU.

Additional details of the agreement will be available upon ratification by the unions.

"This agreement shows that when employers and unions work co-operatively together agreements can be reached," said Finance Minister Michael de Jong. "Well over half of the people working in B.C.'s public sector now have tentative or ratified agreements settled under the 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate."

The tentative agreement was reached under the B.C. government's 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate. The 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate applies to all public-sector employers whose collective agreements expire on or after Dec. 31, 2011.

The mandate gives public sector employers the flexibility to find savings from existing budgets to fund modest wage increases in a way that does not add pressure to the government's bottom line, does not add costs for taxpayers or ratepayers, and does not sacrifice services to British Columbians.

Media Contact:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)