B.C. LifeLabs workers launch strike over wages and working conditions [Video]

More than a thousand unionized LifeLabs workers across B.C. walked off the job Sunday, launching a strike over wages, staffing shortages and working conditions.  

As a result, LifeLabs says some of its more than 100 centres in the province will be subject to rotating temporary closures starting on Thursday.

The job action comes after months of unsuccessful negotiations between LifeLabs and the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), which represents the approximately 1,200 employees.

The workers, who provide essential lab testing services to help diagnose illnesses, say they have been without a contract since April 1, 2024. 

They are demanding wage parity with hospital laboratory employees performing similar work, arguing that the current pay gap — ranging between four and 16 per cent — has led to retention and recruitment challenges.

WATCH | B.C. LifeLabs workers walk off the job: Workers at one of the country’s largest lab diagnostic providers are on strike. As Sohrab Sandhu reports, the union says …