The Quebec government announced Thursday that it had submitted a new offer to nurses who are members of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé (FIQ). An offer that takes into account the “concerns” of its members, according to the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel.
“It is now up to the FIQ to take steps towards us to join us,” said Mr.me Lebel Thursday.
The FIQ’s concerns relate in particular to the flexibility demanded of staff by the government. The State wants healthcare professionals to be more mobile in the network in order to meet needs. However, the latter fear that managers will abuse this practice to the detriment of their expertise.
Thursday, Mme Lebel said in writing that she had found “a different path” to achieve her flexibility goals, but did not provide further details on what she meant.
“I have always said that achieving the goals is more important than the means used to achieve them,” she said.
FIQ nurses have been without a work contract for more than 500 days. Claiming to be facing an “impasse”, the union has recently threatened to resort to new pressure tactics.
The two parties had reached an agreement in principle a few months ago, but it was ultimately rejected in the Assembly by members in the spring by 61%.
The announcement of this new offer follows shortly after the one submitted to family doctors earlier this week.
On Monday, Premier François Legault said he was not very optimistic about the progress of the negotiations. “I don’t expect it to be settled before Christmas, neither the FIQ nor the FMOQ. It’s very, very difficult because we have to change the way we do things,” he said during a radio interview with host Mario Dumont on 99.5 FM.
The collective agreement of the FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists, expired on March 31, 2023.
With The Canadian Press