Part 73, page 379

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

"Second-class mail, registration number 0129"

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[partial headline] ...tal dispute to arbitr[ation]

s every year and I never [t]ought it necessary to attend [th]e interment. We are alive [a]nd well and never felt any ther way."

The other commissioners [a]re former United Steelwork- [e]rs of America executive Pen [B]askin and former railway [e]xecutive Alistair Pollock.

Asked whether the commis- sion is prepared to ignore the government's 6.5-per-cent ceil- ing in the nurses' dispute, Parker said: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

"We have to hear the evi- dence first, and then come up with a decision that is fair and reasonable.

"In all these things there are always additional compli- cations and we can't follow any set path as a rule."

However, BCHA labor rela- tions director James Linklater said: "We are going with the commission on the assump- tion that the government will recognize the award, whatever it is to be."

The association has staunchly opposed indepen- dent arbitration of its dispute with the union.

Its reasoning is that if such outside arbitration resulted in a higher settlement than 6.5 per cent, the government would not go along and pay its share of the increase, Linklater explained.

Linklater also noted that re- ferral of disputes to the com- mission "is within the legisla- tion" and that the public in- terest is clearly involved in hospitals.

Nora Paton, the nurses' chief negotiator, said this is the first time that her group has submitted a contract dis- pute to binding arbitration.

"But we agreed to it volun- tarily," she said.

The nurses have never made their wage demand pub- lic, but were incensed when the government imposed the ceiling while they were in the middle of bargaining.

"It was highly inappro- priate, considering the settle- ments the teachers won," Miss Paton said Wednesday.

Education Minister Donald Brothers had imposed a 6.5- per-cent ceiling on school boards in October, but it was ignored and the teachers won an average 7.6-per-cent raise. In Vancouver it was 8.9 per cent.

Mediator Clark Gilmour was appointed in the nurses' case early this month and is continuing with negotiations on non-monetary items.

Parker said Gilmour will try to reduce the number of outstanding issues before the commission starts the hear- ing.

He said the official requests

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