The union representing nurses on the Côte-Nord, which is not affiliated with the FIQ, says that even if the FIQ were to settle with Quebec, it would not solve the workforce problem in the region. And it also does not believe that a flying team is the medium-term solution.
The only long-term solution to the lack of health workers on the Côte-Nord is to offer attractive bonuses to everyone, in all locations, argued Karine Ouellet Moreau, president of the Syndicat des intervenantes et acteurs de la santé du Nord-Est québécois, in an interview Monday.
This union of nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists, which has 1,200 members, is attached to the Fédération de la santé, which is affiliated with the CSQ.
The FSQ has renewed its collective agreement with Quebec. And the members have already ratified the agreement. However, the nursing workforce problems on the North Shore are still making headlines.
Mme Ouellet Moreau is categorical: even if the FIQ settled with Quebec, it would “absolutely not” solve the problem of the North Shore. There is already a small flying team. It has 11 people, she reports, and it is far from enough.
She insists that more flying squads could perhaps provide some relief in the short term. But they cannot be the solution in the medium and long term.