Workers at Lifelabs on Victoria St. are now part of a province-wide strike against their American employer, Quest Diagnostics.
The strike has been ongoing for the past seven weeks, rotating among locations.
On Thursday, April 3, PG Lifelab technologists took to Victoria Street to raise awareness of the issue and seek public support.
The strike aims to secure better working conditions, higher wages and improved hours. These demands are part of ongoing contract negotiations that have been going on for more than a year, leaving Lifelab workers without a binding contract.
Mandy Defields, representing the technologists through the BC General Employees' Union (BCGEU), spoke with The Citizen about the ongoing strike and its demands.
“As a medical laboratory technologist, I’m paid 12.5 per cent less than someone doing the same work in a hospital,” said Defields. “Our lab assistants’ starting wage is $4 an hour less, making it almost impossible to recruit new employees. This brings me to the second part of our needs: relief from excessive workload and unsafe working conditions. We have staff who are regularly doing exorbitant amounts of overtime to meet the company’s arbitrary productivity targets. They’re skipping breaks, even washroom breaks, which is unfair and, frankly, dangerous.”
The BCGEU is providing strike pay and support for the workers. As part of the rotating strike, Defields has previously visited Kamloops and will head to Burnaby and Vancouver Island later in the month.
Another demand being negotiated is improved medical coverage for Lifelabs workers.
“One of the things we’d like to see in this contract is improved health and welfare benefits,” said Defields. “Our employer has been unwilling to engage in any of these discussions. For anyone who has had their blood taken — which is most of us — consider the posture of lab assistants who are doing that for eight hours a day. Technologists in the lab also perform fine motor skill tasks and microscope work. There are significant ergonomic needs that need to be addressed. We need improvements in things like chiropractic care and physiotherapy to help us manage the physical demands of our work and stay healthy so we can show up every day.”
Defields told The Citizen the strikes across the province have been successful in inspiring workers and drawing much-needed attention to the issue.
“Our members are staying strong, walking the lines, and standing shoulder to shoulder,” she said. “They understand this fight is for everyone. It’s not just about us; it’s about ensuring we can continue to provide quality care. If we don’t have the staff, we can’t care for our patients.”
