LifeLabs says some of its B.C. facilities will begin to see “rotating temporary closures” after unionized workers in B.C. went on strike on Sunday.
LifeLabs workers, represented by the B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU), have been without a contract since last April.
Members are pushing back against what they say is chronic understaffing and wages that haven’t kept pace with their counterparts in the public health care system.
“Compared to hospital workers that do the same jobs as us the wage gap is between four and 16 per cent, and we’re seeing skilled professionals leaving for higher-paying jobs, so we have to close that gap,” LifeLabs medical laboratory technologist Mandy De Fields told Global News at a strike kickoff rally Sunday.
The union says bargaining with the employer broke down over positions on wages and benefits.
It is also pointing the finger at the company’s new owner, U.S.-based Quest Diagnostics, which acquired LifeLabs last August.
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“They acquired LifeLabs and we saw a shift at the table then and that kind of put us on the route to where we are today,” BCGEU president Paul Finch said.
LifeLabs says it respects the bargaining process and workers’ “right to pursue their interests.”
“We would like to continue to negotiate and work with the union to reach an agreement that is mutually acceptable and reflects the value our employees bring to their roles each day,” it said in a statement.
The company added it will do everything it can to reduce disruption to clients from the labour dispute.
LifeLabs provides designated essential services, and the provincial government says plans are in place to protect patients.
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