Student wellness nurses on campus were not affected by nursing strike, UVic spokesperson says
Photo via BC Nurses’ Union.
On June 29, BC Nurses Union (BCNU) issued a 72-hour strike notice following the rejection of a tentative agreement reached between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) and health employers. This decision followed the strongest strike mandate in the BCNU’s history, with 98.2 per cent out of 50 850 nurses voting in favour of job action on May 12. At the time of publication, job action has ended following the NBA accepting non-binding recommendations for settlement provided by mediators. The recommendations are now under review by NBA members.
On May 22, the NBA’s provincial bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC), unanimously recommending ratification.The ratification vote took place from June 15 to June 19, resulting in 67 per cent of nurses rejecting the tentative agreement.
On the BCNU website, BCNU President and Chair of the Provincial Bargaining Committee Adriane Gear said in a statement, “For many nurses, this vote was about more than the terms of a collective agreement, it is about having agency — about having the opportunity to make their voices heard and express their frustration, their tenacity and absolute resolve for change. Nurses care deeply about their patients and their profession, but they are also telling us that the conditions they are working under cannot continue.”
In a statement on the BCNU website, the concerns behind B.C. nurses deciding to strike included: high workloads and unsafe staffing levels, workplace violence and occupational health and safety concerns, all which undermine the nurses’ ability to provide care to patients.
On July 3, at 5:30 a.m., a picket line was declared at the Vancouver General Hospital. On July 12, the picket line extended to Victoria General Hospital, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on the 13, and the Royal Jubilee Hospital and South Island Surgical Centre on July 14.
In a statement to the Martlet, a UVic spokesperson confirmed that UVic’s Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) students in “practice courses” between years three and four are currently in a range of clinical placements across the South Island.
“Most are in settings where they are being impacted by the BCNU job action. These students are not crossing picket lines, so some have had clinical shifts cancelled. Nurses are also taking other job actions, including not performing non-nursing duties,” the spokesperson said at the time.
“UVic’s nursing students are encouraged to support their nursing colleagues. The School of Nursing’s undergraduate team communicates regularly with students to ensure they have the most up-to-date information, as the job-action situation changes day by day. Island Health also provides post-secondary health programs with regular updates,” the spokesperson continued.
The spokesperson said that BSN students who graduated in June 2026 completed their programs in April; therefore, the completion of their degrees has not been hindered by job action.
Student Wellness nurses on campus, meanwhile, are represented by the Professional Employees Association (PEA), not the BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU). As such, UVic said, they continued to fulfill their professional responsibilities and remained at work, as scheduled, to support student health and wellness.
On July 13, the BCNU entered mediated bargaining with the NBA and the HEABC, and the picket lines came down at the end of the day on July 14 in a “demonstration of good faith.”
Since the end of the picketing, the BCNU has reported receiving 5 200 reports of threats and intimidation by employers to continue to work despite the union’s direction for members to refuse all non-nursing duties. The picket lines remain down, and outstanding issues not covered in the recommendations accepted by the NBA will proceed to binding arbitration in the fall, according to a statement on the BCNU website.
