Three-year deal reached in labour dispute between LifeLabs and 1,200 striking workers

LifeLabs deal reached

Photo: The Canadian Press

A sign is seen outside a LifeLabs location in North Vancouver B.C., Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

British Columbia's main outpatient lab services provider says it has reached a deal with the union representing about 1,200 striking workers across the province.

LifeLabs says in a statement that it and the BC General Employees' Union have reached the three-year collective bargaining agreement after both sides received binding recommendations from a mediator.

Workers had been conducting job action in B.C. since February, rotating temporary closures at different lab locations.

In its statement, LifeLabs says it appreciates working with the union and looks forward to continuing what it calls a "strong, collaborative relationship" built over time.

The terms of the deal were not described.

The union originally said in February that workers took job action due to LifeLab's refusal to increase wages and benefits to cover the high cost of living as well as "poor working conditions resulting from chronic understaffing."

The two sides had been without a contract since April 2024 and the union voted in November to authorize job action in the dispute.