Nurses union, B.C. employer reach tentative agreement; ratification set for June

VICTORIA – The union representing about 60,000 nurses in British Columbia and their provincial employer have reached a tentative contract agreement that would give members a 12 per cent wage hike over four years. 

The deal comes after members of the BC Nurses’ Union’s voted this month more than 98 per cent in favour of strike action if necessary.

The last agreement expired in March 2025. 

The union says in a news release that in addition to the wage increase, it has negotiated improvements to benefits, workplace safety measures and provisions for better working conditions.

The release says it has also negotiated an agreement with the Ministry of Health, securing “significant additional funding” toward the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios across the province.

The union says a vote on ratification is scheduled from June 15 to 19.

The province says additional details on the deal will be made public after ratification is complete on both the employer’s side and the nurses’ side.

“The tentative agreement is based on the balanced measures mandate and includes additional funding to support service delivery and improve working conditions for (Nurses’ Bargaining Association) members,” the B.C. Finance Ministry says in a statement.

The measures mandate for public sector bargaining includes a general wage increase of three per cent per year for the balance of a contract.

The province had reached a tentative four-year deal with the Doctors of BC in April under a framework of three-per-cent-a-year wage increases, along with similar measures to address workload pressures.

Union president Adriane Gear says in the news release that the bargaining committee felt the deal was the strongest it could reach in the current round of bargaining.

“This tentative agreement was reached because nurses across British Columbia came together and showed they were prepared to fight for meaningful change,” Gear says. 

“The record strike mandate shifted the balance of power at the bargaining table and gave the committee the leverage to push harder, stay at the table longer, and secure meaningful gains for nurses across the province.” 

The new agreement comes after what Gear described as “super frustrating” negotiations lasting six months, which set off the strike vote where about 51,000 members took part.

The vote of 98.2 per cent in favour of strike action came after Gear said employers refused to “offer any substantive contract improvements” or commit to the compensation levels seen in other public sector deals.

The union had noted the strike vote was taken to get the sides back to the negotiating table ahead of Vancouver hosting seven games in the FIFA World Cup starting next month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.