The Health Employers Association of BC and the members of the Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatchers Bargaining Association have ratified an agreement under the Shared Recovery Mandate.

The agreement covers approximately 5,000 paramedics and ambulance dispatchers in British Columbia. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 873 represents the employees in the ambulance service. Paramedics and ambulance dispatchers are employees of BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), which is part of Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

Key priorities of the 2022 mandate include:

• protecting the services that people in British Columbia depend on;
• improving health care and preparing for future needs and challenges; and
• supporting a strong economic recovery that includes everyone in B.C.

Negotiations are focused on providing a fair and reasonable offer to public-sector workers that includes significant inflation protection, while ensuring that government has the resources to continue to invest in building a stronger province for everyone.

The ratified agreement includes:

• three-year term - April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2025
• general wage increases:
  • Year 1 – a flat increase of $0.25 per hour, which provides a greater percentage increase for lower-paid employees, plus a wage increase of 3.24%
  • Year 2 – 5.5% plus a potential cost-of-living adjustment to a maximum of 6.75%
  • Year 3 – 2% plus a potential cost-of-living adjustment to a maximum of 3%
• A negotiable flexibility allocation for as much as 0.25% in years 1 and 2 to support mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties.

Other achievements in this round of negotiations included increases to improve on-call coverage and response times in rural and remote communities, as well as provisions on Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives, including paid leave to support Indigenous employees in connecting with cultural and spiritual beliefs. In addition, the parties agreed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including a provincial working group and the removal of gender-normative uniform rules.

Approximately 288,000 provincial public-sector employees are covered by tentative or ratified agreements reached under B.C.’s Shared Recovery Mandate.

Learn More:

To learn more about public-sector bargaining in B.C., visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employers/public-sector-employers/public-sector-bargaining