Nurses’ union says job action will continue with new mediators appointed
Posted July 11, 2026 1:52 pm.
Last Updated July 11, 2026 7:33 pm.
The BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) says its strike action will continue after the government appointed a special mediator to reach an agreement.
BCNU wants to see “meaningful” movement in addressing the issues that are causing the nurses’ strike action across B.C.
On Friday, the B.C. government appointed Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers to negotiate in the ongoing BCNU job action.
The appointment was announced to the public before it was brought to the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA).
“The first time nurses should hear about a major development in negotiations should not be through a government announcement,” said BCNU President Adriane Gear.
“Nor should we be learning through the media who we will be working with. The way today’s announcement was communicated does little to build the trust that’s needed to move these negotiations forward.”
Ready and Rogers have been appointed as talks stall in the escalating job action that followed a 98.2 per cent strike mandate by nurses.
“This is not how a process built on good-faith bargaining should unfold,” says NBA Chief Negotiator Jim Gould.
“As the NBA prepares to participate in the mediation process, nurses remain focused on securing an agreement that meaningfully addresses wages, staffing shortages, workplace violence and the growing pressures facing the profession.”
Strike action will escalate over the weekend and into next week as picket lines will appear at Victoria General Hospital on Sunday, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Monday, and the Royal Jubilee Hospital on Tuesday.
“Nurses are taking the difficult step of escalating job action because they’re fighting for solutions,” says Gear.
“We remain hopeful, but we are also realistic. Until we see meaningful progress at the bargaining table, nurses will continue standing together and taking action to fight for the changes patients and our profession need.”
