After an initial session with a mediator on Dec. 12, talks between Good Samaritans and the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) are scheduled to continue in late January.
HEU members at six Good Samaritans facilities, including Christenson Village in Gibsons, gave the union a strike mandate last month after being without a contract since March 31.
The Nov. 18 strike vote puts the HEU in position to walk out or take other job action with 72 hours notice. The union is also planning a demonstration outside Christenson Village on Dec. 19 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The HEU says the main issues in the contract dispute are compensation, benefits and working conditions.
There are about 160 HEU members working at Christenson Village. The other facilities under the same collective agreement are in Vernon, Penticton, New Westminster and Salmon Arm.
