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Office, Editorial 985-2131

Union stages sit-in at LGH;
elective surgery cancelled

ALL ELECTIVE surgery was cancelled Tuesday at Lions
Gate Hospital (LGH) as the Hospital Employees Union
(HEU) staged a three-hour sit-in at the hospital's cafeteria

to back contract demands.

The HEU has been without a
collective agreement for just over
one year. Last week the approxi-
mately 1,100 HEU members
employed at LGH voted 81% to
reject, the latest contract offer
from the Health Labor Relations
Association (HLRA).

Hospital spokesman Nancy
Wickham said the HEU served
LGH with 48-hour strike notice at
12:45 p.m. on Monday.

In response to the strike threat,
Wickham said all elective surgery
had been cancelled.

But she added that urgent and
emergency surgery will be per-
formed and day surgery will be
scheduled where possible.

The hospital also closed 32 beds
on Tuesday morning: additional
beds are expected to be closed as
they are vacated.

“Only emer:
will be accepted
“Management
staff have been
housekeeping,
kitchen during this time

Clarke Gardner, president of
the hospital's HEU local, said his
membership has become frustrated
over the flack of progress in con-
tract talks between the union and
the HLRA.

“We're sot happy that the

eo not think there is a
prob We'll just: take it: one
day ai a Gime," said Gardner.

HEU members — province-wide
have voted 78% to reject the
HLRA’s latest contrace offer,

The HERA offer includes:
ea 3.5% retroactive wage in-
crease for 1991;

@a1.5%o wage increase for 1992;
@ awage reopener for 1993,

@ pay equity adjustments tetall-
ing 4% over three years.

Wickham said.
and = non-union
asked to work in
laundry ands the

EEE EEL OE EL DE ED

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

HEU spokesman Steven
Howard said the current average
salary for an HEU member
employed at LGH and at other
hospitals is approximately $26,000
a year.

Annual HEU | salaries
from $20,000 to $51,000.

HLRA spokesman Martin Liv-
ingston said the HEU wants wage
and benefit increases totalling
more than 56% over two years.

The demands, he said, would
cost B.C. taxpa about $400
million over two years.

Bur HEU © secretary-business
manager Carmela Allevato said,
“We made substantial reductions
in our own position in an effort te
get tatks moving, but they
(HLRA) dismissed our proposals
as ‘ridiculous. ut indicates to
us that they are hell-bent on con-
frontation."'

Meanwhile, the B.C. Nurses’
Union, which signed a collective
agreement: last month, said its
members will not) cross HEU
picket lines

The HEU members employed at
LGH work in a wide variety of

pital support positions that in-

range

nutrition services;
clerical;
housekeeping;

biomedical enginevring:
purchasing;

print shop;

financing:

computer staff,

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