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The Risk Ahead

We know from experience how much health care can suffer when the wrong party is in government. From 2001-2017, B.C.’s last conservative government cut health care funding, slashed wages, fired thousands of health care workers, and privatized hospital services and care for seniors.

It’s taken 10 years to try to repair the damage done to health care by that conservative government, because once it’s broken, it’s hard to fix.

We can’t let a new conservative government take us backwards on health care and reverse the progress made by HEU members over the past nine years.

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From 2001-2017, B.C.’s conservative government changed the laws and ripped up contracts, firing nearly 10,000 health care workers.

Under the last conservative B.C. government,

  • Many health care workers’ wages were cut by 15 per cent, making the Facilities general wage increase between 2004-2018 only 1.7 per cent;
  • Health care workers excluded from job security and other protections in the Labour Code; and
  • Health care was privatized faster and deeper than anywhere in Canada.

The previous conservative government also slashed taxes for the wealthy and profitable corporations, while raising fees on regular families and cutting the public services British Columbians rely on.

Under the last conservative government:

  • 71 hospitals were cut, closed or downgraded;
  • 267 public schools were closed;
  • MSP fees doubled, ICBC rates and Hydro rates increased, tolls were imposed on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, and the HST was introduced;
  • Housing costs increased by 130 percent, and now the same politicians oppose the speculation and vacancy tax on empty homes owned by real estate speculators.

The BC Conservative’s leader Lorne Doerkson was first elected as MLA in 2020 as a member of the conservative party that ruled B.C. from 2001-2017, when HEU members lost their jobs or had their wages slashed. Now Doerkson is rebuilding the conservative party of Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark to do it all over again.

The BC Conservatives “no tax” promise = health care cuts. The BC Conservatives admit that health care and education would have to “take the brunt” of cuts to balance the provincial budget.

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Worker-friendly government

Since forming government in 2017, the BC NDP is still undoing the damage the previous conservative government caused and is building a better province for everyone.

These major changes recognized the value of our members, restored our member’s rights, and addressed the failure of the previous conservative government’s privatization agenda. 

But there’s still a lot more to do.

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Since the election of a worker-friendly government in 2017, HEU members have seen some important gains. Here’s a brief summary of what the current government has done so far:

Ended contracting out of housekeeping, food service and other support service jobs. Over 5,000 workers received wage increases, a pension and better benefits.

Ended contract flipping in health care by restoring job security for workers under the Labour Code.

Improved wages in seniors’ care during the pandemic by bringing them up to the provincial standard rate. Some workers’ wages increased by $7 an hour overnight.

Created a $245 million wage restoration fund that begins reversing conservative government wage cuts and pay equity rollbacks to Facilities members from the early 2000s.

Funded four Facilities Bargaining Association collective agreements that will raise members’ wages 32 per cent between 2019 and 2028.

Agreed to bring 5,000 private sector long-term care workers into the Facilities agreement between October 1, 2026-September 30, 2028.

Rolled out a rural retention initiative program to help attract and keep health care workers in 76 rural and remote areas of the province.

Created the Health Career Access Program — or HCAP — that trained and hired 10,000 care aides and community health workers within two years.

Expanded the reversal of privatization by bringing protection services workers back under health authorities, and providing further training to HEU members as relational security officers.