Waving placards and banners, B.C. paramedics wearing their familiar neon-green jackets marched on Penticton MLA Bill Barisoff‘s constituency office Saturday to push the provincial Liberals for free collective bargaining rights. Paul Faoro, president of CUPE Local 15 and general vice-president for CUPE BC, who led the protest, told paramedics a new contract must be signed. “This is about life and death. It‘s as simple as that,” Faoro told the crowd of about 50. “We shouldn‘t be out here today. We‘re fighting for a better ambulance system.” For the past few years, B.C. paramedics have been trying to get an inquiry into the condition of ambulance service in the province, which they claim is underfunded and understaffed.
On April 1 of last year, the paramedics went on strike, but because they are an essential service, the only strike action taken was attaching “On Strike” signs onto their ambulances. Paramedics claim that under their current contract, wait times for 911 calls have been increasing and they do not have enough ambulances to correct this, putting people‘s lives in jeopardy. A collective agreement could not be reached, and in November, while paramedics were looking at an offer from the B.C. Ambulance Service, the government imposed an agreement forcing them back to working their regular and overtime shifts. The move was made after the government bent to VANOC‘s request to ensure ambulance service for the upcoming Olympic Games, said Faoro.
“It‘s troubling when an unelected board like VANOC can pick up the phone and can actually get the attention of government and oppose legislation, which is unprecedented in this country, to effectively ensure that for the six weeks of the Olympics and Paralympics that the ambulance system is going to work,” he said.
Faoro said that these protests are far from falling on deaf ears of the government. “We‘ve had about 30 of these rallies now across British Columbia,” he said. “People are now starting to understand this isn‘t just about the ambulance and paramedics themselves. This is about the actual system.” Following wait times being released, the public is beginning to realize the inequities with the ambulance service in the province, he said: “I am hopeful the government comes to the table and works with us. We should have the best ambulance system in this province and I think everybody wants this.” Brad Fraser, regional vice-president for the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. for CUPE Local 873 said its group is being used as “guinea pigs” and have become “doormats” for the provincial government.
Fraser told paramedics they must not accept “the pittance” being offered by the government and must voice their insistence to work out a new agreement. “I challenge you all in the next month to sharpen your swords because the show is about to begin,” he said.
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CUPE 873 On Strike Documentary from CUPE 873 on Vimeo.
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