PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY February 1 - 15, 2019
Martin Lintag...
many people he knows and those he
doesn’t.
What can save Martin’s life is a
stem cell transplant from an unrelated
donor--preferably from the Filipino
ethnic group. Anyone who is between
the ages of 17 - 35 years old would be
a viable donor (a health regulation in
Canada).
As Martin states, “[t]he best
way to be fully cured of my MPAL is to
receive a stem cell transplant from an
unrelated donor. However, very few
Asians, let alone Filipinos, are aware of
stem cell transplants and are registered
donors. This makes it difficult for
me and others to find a match. As
of 2015, Southeast Asians, including
people of Filipino descent, form less
than 2% of Canada’s database, and
Canada is unable to access donors
registered in the Philippines.”
To become a donor, please
go to https://www.match4martin.
com
orhttps://www.facebook.com/
Match4MartinNow/
Hospital and long-term care
workers vote to ratify three-
year collective agreement
New
agreement
restores
contracting out protections stripped
by previous Liberal government;
includes provisions to tackle workload
and improve safety
[BURNABY, B.C.] – Nearly
44,000
health
care
workers
represented by the multi-union
Facilities Bargaining Association
(FBA) have a new collective agreement
that includes important job security,
health and safety, and compensation
improvements.
Union members voted 89 per
cent in favour of ratifying the three-
year deal reached with B.C.’s public
health employers last November. The
votes took place between Jan. 21 and
Feb. 8.
Hospital Employees’ Union
(HEU) secretary-business manager
Jennifer Whiteside, the unions’ chief
negotiator, says the agreement tackles
health and safety issues, and restores
contracting-out protections stripped
by the former B.C. Liberal government
in 2002.
“Health care workers will be
safer and their jobs more secure
as a result of this agreement,”
says Whiteside. “After 16 years of
privatization and unstable workplaces,
we have an opportunity to strengthen
services to the public by improving
working and caring conditions of our
members.”
The new contract includes
general wage increases of six per
cent, in line with government’s current
negotiating mandate for the public
sector. In addition, entry level wages
will be raised by phasing out lower
steps in the wage grid. A number
of shift premiums have also been
improved.
The agreement will re-establish
a provincial organization focusing
on occupational health and safety in
health care – a sector with among
the highest rates of injuries in the
B.C. The provincial government will
provide $8.5 million over three years
to support this objective.
“We
need
system-wide
improvements to drive down injury
rates and make real progress towards
safer workplaces,” says Whiteside.
“Focusing resources on OH&S best
practices and ensuring they are
scaled up across the sector is the right
approach.”
The agreement runs from
April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2022 and
covers a broad range of workers in
hospitals, long-term care, corporate
offices, supply warehouses and health
clinics. They work in hundreds of job
classifications in direct patient and
resident care, as well as in support
services, technical, clerical and trades
and maintenance areas.
HEU represents more than
90 per cent of workers covered by
the agreement. The nine-union FBA
also includes members from the B.C.
Government and Service Employees’
Union and the International Union of
Operating Engineers.
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