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BC nurses hope to place safe staffing on election agenda

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC nurses want to keep the promise of providing safer patient care, but warn they can’t do it alone.

The head of their union says politicians have an important role to play, as well.

Speaking to News1130 from the floor of its annual convention in Downtown Vancouver, BC Nurses’ Union boss Deb Macpherson says key issues for her in the coming provincial election include safe staffing and enforcing last year’s collective agreement, which she claims is already being challenged.

“We have health employers refusing to implement the new language, saying it robs them of their right to manage. Well, they were there and unless we’re paying people $400,000 who can’t read… they know what they signed and we expect them to implement this language and keep their promise.”

“Keeping the promise” also happens to be the motto of this year’s convention, and Macpherson says she’ll be looking to whoever forms government following the May election to keep their promises, as well.

“Both parties are short on commitments and big on listening,” she admits, after meeting with both the Liberals and the NDP in the past week.

While she won’t formally endorse any party, Macpherson hints the nurses could advertise during the campaign. “We may, but it would be issue-focused. We’ll probably be providing our members with background information on the key issues.”

She looks forward to hearing Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid speak at the convention tomorrow, but also reveals who won’t be appearing.

“We issued that invitation [to MacDiarmid], as well as to [NDP leader] Adrian Dix and/or his delegate to come. They’ve declined, at this point, to come and Minister MacDiarmid has indicated she’ll come, pending obligations in the Legislature.”

The convention, which is underway at the Hyatt in Downtown Vancouver, wraps tomorrow with a rally at 12:00 p.m.

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