British Columbia has legislated its striking paramedics back to work.

After an all-night session at the provincial legislature, Bill 21 was passed, officially ending a strike that began in April.

Paramedics had still been working during the strike under an essential-services order from the provincial government.

The province moved to legislate the 3,500 paramedics back to work with less than a month to go in the current legislative session - the last regular sitting of the house before the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The settlement outlined in the Ambulance Service Collective Agreement Act reflected the offer made to the union in September.

The one-year deal is retroactive to April 1, and includes a competitive compensation increase of three per cent, in line with wage increases for other public-sector workers in 2009.

In September, the president of CUPE local 873 - the union representing the striking paramedics - told his members the latest contract offer at that time was “repugnant.”

“We could never recommend this settlement proposal to our membership,” John Strohmaier wrote in late September, calling the offer at that time “woefully short of reasonable expectations.”

Vancouver Province