Bill 29 stripped rights from union agreements and allowed a massive round of contracting out.

As part of its agreement with unions, the government promised to provide $85 million in compensation and retraining and to order health employers to consult with unions before there is any new contracting out.

The Hospital Employees' Union claimed the legislation, imposed six years ago, caused the loss of 9,000 workers' jobs.

"Bill 29's legacy has been the dismantling of the health-care team, the loss of public control over many critical health services, and economic hardship for thousands of working families," union president Judy Darcy said in a prepared statement Monday.

The B.C. government is also eliminating ambulance fees for people on welfare and allowing the disclosure of health-related information from investigations conducted by the Medical Services Commission.

The information could be used to permit prosecution of Medical Services Plan fraud cases.

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