A group of paramedics are lobbying the province for a change in labour laws that would halt the possibility of future strikes and lockouts of ambulance drivers and dispatchers.
The group Your Paramedics, representing roughly 2,500 ambulance staff provincewide, is petitioning to have their work declared an essential service.
The group has been canvassing on the North Shore and has set up petition booths at various public locations on the North Shore since January. If they can get signatures from 10 per cent of the registered voters in every riding in B.C., by April 9, the province must respond either by holding a referendum or by introducing a bill in the legislature.
It’s the same tactic successfully used by the Stop HST group to force a referendum in 2011 and unsuccessfully by Sensible B.C. to amend the Police Act to decriminalize marijuana possession in 2013.
“When you call 911 and they say ‘Police, fire or ambulance,’ only two of those organizations are deemed an emergency service. We are not,” said Troy Gienger, a paramedic who grew up on the North Shore and one of the leaders of the Your Paramedics petition. “By being put under the protection of the Fire and Police Act, this will prevent any strike, any lockouts or any labour disputes from occurring.”
In return, paramedics would have access to binding arbitration during contract negotiations, the same as police and firefighters do. The assumption is, if talks break down and an arbitrator is brought in, paramedics will fare better than they would if it comes to a protracted labour dispute, Gienger said.
“If you give up your strike option, you’re giving up a tool. But that’s a terrible tool to have. Nobody, as paramedics and dispatchers go, want to have a strike,” he said. “We certainly don’t want to withhold lifesaving medical treatment from people, and if that means giving up our legal right to strike, we will gladly give it up.
“You can have it. We’re not interested in it,” Gienger said.
The B.C. Labour Relations Board sets minimum staffing levels for paramedics but strikes and lockouts are still possible. The last job action happened in 2010 and lasted more than six months. Paramedics are represented by CUPE 873. Their current contract is in place until 2019.
Asked how he likes his group’s chances of success, given the challenge of getting so many signatures, Gienger was optimistic.
“I think they’re good. I would say that 99 per cent of the people that we’ve approached when we’re canvassing for signatures … are on board with this,” he said. “The vast majority of the public, when they find out the provincial ambulance service is not an essential service and that strikes and lockouts are a real potential issue, they can’t sign up fast enough. No question there.”
Gienger said his group only launched the initiative petition after years of lobbying the province for the change in bargaining rights failed.
The province did not respond to a request for comment.
