BC NewsRob Shaw: B.C. nurses wanted 36% wage hike before arbitrationNurses wanted 36% raisePhoto: CINDY E. HARNETT, TIMES COLONIST B.C. Nurses’ Union president Adriane Gear speaks at Royal Jubilee Hospital on the final day of Vancouver Island pickets. Both sides agreed July 24, with the BC Nurses’ Union ending weeks of job action and the longest nursing labour dispute in provincial history. The government offered four per cent wage increases over four years, plus an additional two per cent in targeted wage relief, for a total of 14 per cent.