07/09/2026
For the first time in over 25 years, BC nurses are on STRIKE! Comrades visited a picket at Vancouver General Hospital this week to show our solidarity. A BCNU representative even handed comrades the megaphone to lead chants!
In June of this year, the BCNU voted 98.2% in favour of strike action! This is a historic mandate. Nurses are frustrated with the constant cuts, overwork, unsafe working conditions, amongst a myriad of other issues. The tentative agreement reached between the union and the bosses did not meet the nurses' demands, shown by their fervent rejection of the deal and continuous picketing.
Creative signs and slogans reflected the radical mood of a new generation of nurses who were eager to fight the system — even before the strike was called. Speaking with the nurses, it’s clear that the rank-and-file’s demands expand beyond those of their union. Other unions joining the picket line and constant support from cars driving by demonstrate that the masses are siding with their own class — the working class!
This strike is just one symptom of a deteriorating healthcare system under capitalism. As the Canadian ruling class scrambles to balance the budget, the BC government will be looking to make even more cuts to public services. The BCNU cannot succumb to this pressure. They must be prepared to defy any attempts to force them back to work, just as they did in 2001.
The RCP stands in solidarity with the nurses. With FIFA in town, immense public support, and the weight of other unions behind them, the nurses have the perfect conditions to win every single one of their demands. Strike until victory!
