BURNABY, British Columbia — More than 200 striking lab technicians, members of the British Columbia General Employees’ Union, and their supporters held a spirited rally Feb. 16 against concessions demanded by LifeLabs, the province’s main privately owned health laboratory and one of Canada’s largest.
Handmade signs saying, “Overworked and undervalued” and “Burnout caused this turnout,” dotted the crowd. Chants like “When we fight we win!” could be heard, along with honking horns of support from passing drivers.
“The work that you do is incredibly important,” BCGEU President Paul Finch told the strikers. “If we don’t stop the company attacks on our working conditions it will get worse.” He pointed to members of other unions, including machinists, nurses, hospital, postal and brewery workers, who were there to offer solidarity. “We’re demanding improved scheduling and more occupational health and safety protections.”
Some 1,200 BCGEU members will be organizing strike actions across the province. Their contract expired last April.
Since the government has declared them an “essential service,” making a systemwide walkout illegal, rotating strikes will be organized at different locations. BCGEU members from Kelowna, Victoria and Nanaimo joined the rally here.
Mandy DeFields, a lab technician and head of the bargaining committee, told the Militant, “We’re demanding wage parity between LifeLabs employees and technicians who do the same work in the public sector. Our wages are 4% to 16% behind them. We’re short-staffed and constantly asked to work overtime. We have no work-life balance and are understaffed and undervalued.” She added that their vacations have been cut back 80%, and the company wants another 20% cut.
Finch said it’s important to defend unions’ right to strike. It’s essential to the fight for better wages and working conditions. The federal government in Ottawa has used anti-labor laws to force workers back to work in every national strike since last August.