Food-service workers who were previously contracted out in health-care facilities in the qathet region are returning as Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) employees.
According to a media release from the provincial ministry of health, this comes after almost 20 years of these workers having their services contracted out to private companies.
“Bill 47 is important to health-service workers who work within our public health system and to the patients they care for,” stated health minister Adrian Dix. “This legislation ensures better working conditions, job security and equitable wages for workers whose contributions to our health-care system are undeniable. I sincerely thank VCH for their tremendous efforts in transitioning these food-service workers back in-house and for their commitment to improving quality of care for patients.”
The release stated that health authorities and Providence Health Care continue to repatriate workers under Bill 47, bringing an estimated 4,000 workers back into the public system. A total of 283 food-services workers in the coastal community of care at VCH are being repatriated on July 22, at the following local sites: Powell River General Hospital, Evergreen Care unit and Willingdon Creek Village.
The release stated that work to bring health-care service workers back into the public system began in 2019 when the province brought Bill 47 (Health Sector Statutes Repeal Act) into force. Bill 47 repealed the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act (Bill 29) and the Health Sector Partnerships Agreement Act (Bill 94), which had facilitated contracting out in the health sector and caused significant labour impacts, according to the release.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
