B.C. paramedics union warns of possibility of strike

Content warning: The following story deals with the subject of suicide. If you or a loved one is at risk of self-harm, call Crisis Centre BC at 988. Translation services are available.

The Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia (APBC) is warning the public of possible job action after it says bargaining with its employer recently failed.

The union, which represents over 4,500 ambulance paramedics and dispatchers, says collective agreement negotiations with its employer, the provincially-run BC Emergency Health Services, began in September.

“While some progress was made at the bargaining table, talks broke down before Christmas,” said an APBC statement Tuesday.

President and Lead Negotiator Jason Jackson says union members are discussing job action, including the possibility of striking, but says this is “not where we expected or wanted to be.”

“We are deeply concerned about what will happen if government fails to take these negotiations seriously,” said Jackson.

The union warns that it is paramedics who regularly fill the province’s gaps in health care, including when emergency rooms are closed due to staffing shortages.

“Yet we continue to see ambulances sitting unstaffed and hundreds of vacant positions across the province. Without meaningful improvements to wages, benefits, and wellness initiatives, we will continue to lose skilled professionals — and communities will pay the price,” said Jackson.

Union Communications Director Ian Tait tells 1130 NewsRadio it’s “frustrating” that talks with the employer have not properly addressed the volume of calls that paramedics are expected to answer while filling gaps in the province’s health-care system.

“We reported earlier that we’ve had an unprecedented number of members who have died by suicide this year. And that’s troubling, and very concerning to us. And we take that very seriously,” said Tait.

The APBC is seeking enhanced mental health supports for frontline workers, protection against work being contracted out to non-union workers, and better deployment models for rural communities. Tait says those changes will also help B.C. attract and retain more desperately needed paramedics.

“The government has invested in the ambulance service a lot in the last 10 years, but we still have a lot of work to do, and we are being called upon to do more and more each year,” said Tait.

He says members will vote on striking in the coming weeks.

“As part of preparing for potential job action, we are currently establishing essential service levels for paramedics and dispatchers,” said Jackson, restating the union’s reluctance to take job action.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to B.C.’s Ministry of Health for comment.

—With files from Srushti Gangdev