By a vote of almost 85 per-cent, members of the BC Nurses Union have ratified a new contract with the provincial government.
The 32-thousand nurses will get wage hike of 7.1 per-cent over two years, but that includes extending their work week to 37-and-a-half hours.
Union president Deb McPherson says for the first time, the contract contains what she calls "clear, enforceable provisions" that allow more nurses to be called in on shifts based on the needs of patients, not budget concerns.