Vancouver Coastal Health welcomes back 283 hospital food-service workers

This comes after almost 20 years of these workers having their services contracted out to private companies.

Bill 47 is important to health-service workers who work within our public health system and to the patients they care for, said Adrian Dix, Health Minister. This legislation ensures better working conditions, job security and equitable wages for workers whose contributions to our health-care system are undeniable. I sincerely thank VCH for their tremendous efforts transitioning these food-service workers back in-house and for their commitment to improving quality of care for patients.

Health authorities and Providence Health Care continue to repatriate workers under Bill 47, bringing an estimated 4,000 workers back into the public system. A total of 283 food-services workers in the Coastal Community of Care at VCH will be repatriated on July 22, 2022, at the following sites:

"Bringing these integral health-care services workers back in-house means patients will receive more dedicated health care and workers can look forward to building a career in the health sector and a better future for their families, said Mable Elmore, Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors Services and Long Term Care. Everyone at VCH who has made this transition possible should be proud of their efforts as I am very proud of them."

To address inequality and enhance working conditions for employees in health-care facilities, government is ensuring that workers have the benefits, wages and working conditions that they deserve to be able to help patients.

Evidence has shown that employees who feel secure and safe in their jobs provide higher quality care for people, and in turn, employers can attract and retain staff at a higher and more consistent level.

Following the initial announcement on Aug. 30, 2021, health authorities and Providence Health Care served notice under the terms of 21 commercial service contracts and have started a phased approach to repatriate housekeeping and food-service contracts. 

Work to bring health-care service workers back into the public system began in 2019 when the Province brought Bill 47 (Health Sector Statutes Repeal Act) into force. Bill 47 repealed the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act (Bill 29) and the Health Sector Partnerships Agreement Act (Bill 94), which had facilitated contracting out in the health sector and caused significant labour impacts.

In 2020, the process began with North Island Hospitals, which spearheaded the move independently of Bill 47 to bring 150 contracted-out workers in-house at North Island Campus Campbell River and District, and Comox Valley Hospital.