HSP — Health Science Professionals

Health Science Professionals who work for regional health authorities are represented by a bargaining association.

PEA members — physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists and public health engineers — make up a small part of some 10,000 professionals.

Apart from PEA, other unions in the bargaining association include the Health Sciences Association (HSA), the BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) and others.

At Your Fingertips

Need Help?

Your Labour Relations Officer is:

Rhiannon Bray, 250-385-8791 ext 204

Find Your Local Rep

Team/Unit	Local Rep
Central & North Vancouver Island - Physiotherapists	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

Central & North Vancouver Island - Psychologists and Public Health Engineers	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

South Vancouver Island	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

Interior - East

Interior - Central	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

Interior - North	Alyssa Beaven 250-851-7917

Interior - South	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

Fraser Health Authority - Fraser North	Anne Tulloch

Fraser Health Authority - Fraser South	Ronda Field 604-897-0189

Fraser Health Authority - Fraser East	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission	Shauna Darcangelo

Fraser Health Authority and PHSA (BC Centre for Disease Control Services Commission)	Vacant - to volunteer contact Rhiannon Bray

HSP Collective Agreement Documents

FINAL Collective Agreement HSPBA 2019-2022

Download

Benefit Information

Wage Schedules

HSP Executive

Chairperson: Ronda Field, 604-897-0189

Vice-Chair: Alyssa Beaven

Secretary-Treasurer: Sean Lisik

Member-at-large: Sarah Henckel-Sutmoller, 250-850-2180

Member-at-large: Vacant

Member-at-large: Vacant

Professional Development Funding

Chapter Funding

The chapter offers a variety of programs for HSP members to fund professional development:

HSPBA Pro-D funding
Chapter Bursary

You can find out more about chapter funding options here.

Enhanced Disability Management Program

Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP)

You can find out more information here.

HSP News

Health Science Professionals Ratify New Collective Agreement

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Members of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association have voted 77 per cent in favour to accept a new collective agreement effective April 21, 2022 to March 31, 2025.

HSP Tentative Agreement Information

Monday, November 21, 2022

For almost 20 years, provincial governments in BC worked deliberately to drive down wages for specialized health professionals in BC.

BC’s 22,000 specialized health care professionals reach tentative agreement

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Dear HSP members,

HSP AGM 2022

HSP AGM

HEALTH SCIENCE PROFEESSIONALS (HSP) CHAPTER
2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Date TBA

2022 Draft AGM Minutes (login required)

Download

HSP Collective Agreement FAQs

Compassionate Leave

Article 15 - Compassionate Leave

Regular employees are entitled to paid compassionate leave to deal with the death of a family member or relative as listed in the article. Members may also be granted paid time for travelling.

The time off for compassionate leave does not have to be consecutive and does not have to be at the time of death. The leave is for the purpose of grieving and the process of grieving for each individual is different.

Full-time employees are entitled to 22.5 hours for compassionate leave with an additional 7.5 hours available under the Article 20 - Special Leave provisions.

Members are entitled to take compassionate leave in the event of the death of a spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, (or alternatively step-parent, or foster parent) sister, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, legal guardian, legal ward, or grandparents, step-child, grandchild and relative permanently residing in the employee's household or with whom the employee permanently resides.

Travel for compassionate leave

If travel is required, an additional 15 hours with pay are available under this article and an additional 7.5 hours under the Article 20 - Special Leave provisions. This time can only be claimed for travel on days when the member was scheduled to work.

The employer is obliged to honour requests for compassionate leave, and must make every effort to grant additional compassionate leave of absence without pay if requested by the member.

It is not necessary for a member to prove that she requires the time off.

Part-time members

Compassionate leave under Article 15 is not pro-rated for part-timers. However, the additional time off under Article 20 - Special Leave is prorated for part-timers.

Generally speaking, the purpose of these provisions of the contract is to ensure that members do not lose income because of the time off required to grieve a death in the family. Compassionate leave is not available if a member is on an unpaid leave of absence.

Let’s explain this. Alice, a full-time Pharmacist, loses her mother. Alice must travel to the United Kingdom for the funeral. Under the collective agreement she is entitled to 30 hours of compassionate leave and 22.5 hours for travel for compassionate leave. In total, Alice may take seven (7) workings days off to grieve the loss of her mother.

Transportation Expenses

Transportation Expenses

There are three main sections in the collective agreement that relate to Transportation Expenses. They are all found under Article 26.

Mileage (Article 26.01)

The employer pays 52 cents a kilometre for business related mileage, with a minimum of $2.00 for each round trip. All work-related travel during the day is reimbursed by the employer.

Expenses (Article 26.02)

A member is also entitled to reimbursement for reasonable expenses related to travel, on the submission of receipts. Although employers may develop their own policies regarding expense claim reimbursement, such policies must be reasonable.

Expenses can include taxi fares, parking expenses, meals and accommodations, depending on the circumstance.

Insurance (Article 26.03)

When a member is required to use her car for work, the employer must pay the difference between the cost of auto insurance which the member would otherwise purchase, and the cost of insurance for business use.

Sometimes it’s easier to understand collective agreement language by using an example. Let's say there is a Physiotherapist by the name of Samantha who works very close to her home and doesn't need her vehicle to commute to work. Her employer assigns her to use her vehicle to visit patients in the community. According to this article her employer would be required to pay the difference between her business use insurance and her personal insurance. The employer would also need to pay her mileage at 52 cents a kilometre for any trips with a minimum of $2 for each round trip.

HSP Constitution

ARTICLE IV — Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of the HSP shall consist of three members, elected annually, and up to three Members-at-Large. The Executive Committee shall appoint from among its members a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and a Secretary-Treasurer. The HSP Executive will endeavour to ensure that the diversity of the HSP Chapter is represented within the Executive Committee.

The Chairperson shall preside over HSP meetings and, in their absence, the Vice-Chairperson shall preside.

A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be three members, and shall have the authority to take such measures in carrying out HSP objectives as are consistent with the Professional Employees Association Constitution.

Should a vacancy occur on the Executive Committee, the remaining members may appoint a replacement from the HSP membership for the remainder of the instant term of office.

Decision of the Executive Committee shall be by majority vote, except that the Chairperson shall only vote in the case of a tie. The HSP Executive Committee shall appoint from among its members an Association Executive member. The term of appointment shall be three years, effective on June 1 in Convention years.

ARTICLE V — Executive Elections

The Executive Committee shall request an expression of interest from members who may be interested in joining the HSP Executive Committee no later than 28 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.

Nominations may be put forward to the Executive Committee or to the PEA Office by any members of the HSP. The Executive Committee shall prepare a list of candidates who have signified that they are willing to stand for Executive office. Nominations may also be put forward during the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee shall put the list of standing candidates to the general membership for their vote during the Annual General Meeting. Voting shall be conducted through electronic or verbal means. Newly elected members of the Executive shall assume their duties at the time of election.

In this section

The PEA was formed in 1974, by a group of professionals working in the public sector. The story goes that the founders of the union mortgaged their houses to fund negotiations of the union’s first collective agreement.

Now, the PEA is BC’s union for professionals. We represent a wide range of professionals including lawyers, foresters, engineers, agrologists, teachers, veterinarians, fundraisers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists program managers, librarians and more.

Our union is led by the PEA Executive. They represent members from across the chapters of the PEA and set the overall vision and direction for our union.

Resources for our members

Navigating a union can sometime be a challenging process. Under this section of the website you will find resources to help you navigate the PEA. In the members section you'll find expense claim reimbursements, information on the PEA's scholarship and bursary program and our grants and donations program.

Collective bargaining and job action resources explain the process of collective bargaining and what to do in the unlikely event of job action.

Local reps can also find resources to help them complete their job more effectively. This includes ways to welcome new members, how to take notes in investigation disciplinary meetings and more.

The heart of our union

The PEA is made up of nine chapters, or groups of members who either work for the same employer or are in the same field of work. Each chapter has an elected executive tasked with running the affairs of the chapter. Each chapter is entitled to representation at the PEA Executive, the governing body of the union.

Our members work for a range of employers: the Province of BC, the University of Victoria, St. Margaret's School, the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Law Society of BC, Legal Services Society, the Okangan Regional Library and health authorities across BC.

Professionals need unions now more then ever

Since the 1970’s, when the PEA was formed, our mission has been to ensure our members can work in safe, productive environments and receive fair and reasonable wages and benefits for the valuable work they do. We help individuals and groups of professional workers to understand the challenges they face in their workplaces and some of the solutions available to them.

We work with potential members to become certified as a union and achieve the wages, benefits and respect they deserve.

The Professional | Volume 48 Issue 1

The Professional is the PEA's award-winning, quarterly magazine for members.

The Spring 2022 issue takes a deep dive into the work of GLP members and their work during provincial emergencies.

Read the latest issue

The PEA was formed in 1974 to represent licensed professionals in the BC Public Service. Since then the organization has grown to include a wide range of professionals from across BC. Find our more about our governance, staff and strategic direction.

HSP — Health Science Professionals

At Your Fingertips