Workers at B.C. LifeLabs file 72-hour strike notice over wages, benefits

BURNABY, B.C. — The union representing about 1,200 workers at LifeLabs throughout British Columbia says it has issued a 72-hour strike notice to the employer.

The B.C. General Employees’ Union says in a news release that the action comes after months of negotiations and LifeLabs’ refusal to bring wages and benefits in line with the cost of living.

It says the employer has also failed to address “poor working conditions resulting from chronic understaffing.”

LifeLabs employees have been without a contract since April 1, 2024, and the union says its members voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action in November.

The union says workers want wage increases that close the gap with those in the public sector who are doing the same work, solutions to short-staffing and workload issues and improvements to health and safety benefits.

It says as workers launch job action they will hold a “one-day strike kickoff rally” on Sunday at the LifeLabs Burnaby Reference Lab.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

The Canadian Press