B.C. nurses claim health employers are interfering with lawful job action
The Canada Industrial Relations Board has ordered the Bank of Canada to stop using contracted security staff and union members to perform struck work, ruling Tuesday the bank violated the Canada Labour Code during an ongoing strike.
About 63 security officers in Ottawa and Montreal have been on strike since June over wages, benefits and scheduling.
The board found the bank contravened the Canada Labour Code by using contracted Garda workers and Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members while security officers were on strike, The Canadian Press (CP) reported. The ruling followed a union complaint alleging the bank contacted strikers directly and planned to bring in a third-party contractor.
In a statement, the bank said it respects the decision and will comply "as soon as it can put in place the necessary measures to maintain the required level of security for its people and facilities."
Background to the strike
Security officers in Ottawa and Montreal walked off the job in June seeking better wages, benefits and stable schedules after bargaining failed. PSAC said Montreal staff were also locked out by the employer.
The dispute escalated when the union alleged the bank was contacting strikers and planned to contract out their duties, leading to Tuesday's ruling.
The strike has continued for 15 consecutive days, the union said, with no new bargaining dates announced as of Tuesday.
Alex Silas, national executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said he had an "emotional call" with picket captains and the bargaining team after the ruling. Silas has worked as a Bank of Canada security officer since 2010.
He called the decision a "major win" for the union and workers across the country. "Folks are feeling overjoyed, justified in this fight that we've been leading for the past 15 days straight against an unjust employer trying to force unjust concessions on these security workers who work hard to keep the bank safe," Silas said, according to the CP report.
"At this point, these workers want to get back to work," Silas said. "They love what they do, they're proud of what they do but they feel that they have a right to some work-life balance and some respect from their employer."
Canada passed legislation in 2024 banning federally regulated employers from using replacement workers during a legal strike or lockout, with the rules taking effect in 2025.
B.C. nurses
Meanwhile, the British Columbia Nurses' Union (BCNU) is expanding its strike in their labour dispute with the province.
BCNU claimed that health employers have interfered with a separate form of lawful job action, prompting expanded picket lines at three facilities. The union says it has received more than 1,400 reports describing attempts by employers to intimidate members and interfere with their right to participate in job action.
BCNU president Adriane Gear said nurses have reported being threatened with discipline, warned their professional licences could be at risk, and pressured to perform non-nursing duties or work unauthorized overtime. "No nurse should be made to feel afraid for standing up for safer workplaces, better retention and a stronger public health-care system," Gear said.
Pickets began at Vancouver General Hospital Tuesday and will expand Thursday to Surrey Memorial Hospital and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. Essential services will remain in place. The Province of British Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment, The Canadian Press reported.
Union calls for government intervention
BCNU CEO and chief negotiator Jim Gould said the alleged intimidation warrants government intervention. "Government cannot stand by while health employers blatantly retaliate against nurses' lawful job action," Gould said. "Health employers must respect that process, and government must ensure they have both the mandate and the direction to negotiate a fair agreement."
Gear said employer conduct has escalated the dispute despite the union's efforts to limit disruption to patients. "But when employers refuse to respect nurses' legal rights and instead choose confrontation over meaningful engagement, they leave us with no choice but to increase the pressure," she said.
The job action follows a strike vote in which 50,850 nurses took part, with 98.2 per cent in favour. A tentative agreement was later rejected by 67 per cent of members. The BCNU represents about 60,000 nurses across the province.
