The BC Government today introduced legislation which will significantly alter the content of health care collective agreements and affect the way health sector employers manage their human resources. Bill 29 (the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act) will give health sector employers:
- the right to reorganize services by transferring functions or services within regions or to other health sector employers
- the right to assign employees temporarily to any worksite of the employer or to a worksite operated by another health sector employer and to post permanent multiple worksite assignments
- the right to contract outside of the collective agreement for the provision of non clinical services without consulting with the union and without establishing a successorship applying to the contractor.
- the right to lay off employees with a maximum of 60 days notice to an employee directly or indirectly affected and to the union
The legislation also
- replaces collective agreement bumping provisions with bumping options to be set out in regulations
- eliminates the Employment Security and Labour Force Adjustment Agreement (ESLA)
- establishes an administrator to wind up Healthcare Labour Adjustment Society (HLAA) programs and activities
- restores the health services and support community subsector as a separate bargaining unit.