(Montreal) The Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ) describes the government’s new offer tabled Thursday as a “significant setback.” It is urging its members to refuse overtime starting September 19, which could lead to service disruptions, according to local unions.
In an interview at The PressFIQ President Julie Bouchard says that Quebec’s latest offer is “really a significant step backwards” compared to the agreement in principle rejected by 61% last April. “It’s even more mobility that’s being asked of us, even more flexibility,” she says.
According to the FIQ, the new offer allows healthcare institutions to move healthcare professionals from one unit to another as well as from one facility to another, as was the case in the previous offer. But this one goes even further, according to Julie Bouchard.
“A nurse at the Saint-Eustache emergency room could be moved to Mont-Laurier, 200 kilometres away,” she said. The rejected agreement in principle set a maximum distance. “Initially, we couldn’t move a healthcare professional if it was more than 25 or 35 kilometres away.”
Another unacceptable element, in the eyes of the FIQ: the government is proposing to the union to transform stable day, evening and night positions into rotational positions (day, evening and night; day and evening; day and night) when they are left vacant due to retirement or departure. “That too is a step backwards, because during the last negotiation, we were looking for a certain stability,” says Julie Bouchard.
According to Julie Bouchard, these rotational positions will harm the attractiveness and retention of staff. “We must not forget that we must seek out the healthcare professionals who are in the agencies,” she says.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Julie Bouchard, President of the FIQ
A “considerable impact”
Dissatisfied with Quebec’s latest offer, the FIQ is asking its members to stop working overtime starting September 19. This pressure tactic will have a “considerable impact” in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, according to the president of the local union, Jean-Sébastien Blais.
“We know that our activity centres, it is the independent workforce and the overtime that allows us to keep them open at 100%,” he says. “But now, with this withdrawal of availability, it could go as far as service disruptions probably in our small departments or even our CHSLDs which operate a lot with overtime.”
The president of the Outaouais Health Professionals Union, Karine Dauteuil, believes that stopping overtime could lead to “service disruptions” in her region. “This is collateral damage, caused by the government, by its lack of listening, its lack of respect,” she says. “It’s the government that will be responsible.”
At the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, up to 20% of hours worked are done as “overtime”, according to the president of the Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal-FIQ, Denis Cloutier.
The Montreal Mental Health University Institute is at risk of being affected, he said. “Often, we don’t talk about it much because the level of mandatory overtime is not high. [là-bas]but it’s very high in overtime,” he said.
Julie Bouchard emphasizes that the objective is however “not to go until the end of overtime.”
We have more than two weeks left to negotiate. We are capable of having an agreement in principle, a future collective agreement that will be a win-win for both parties.
Julie Bouchard, President of the FIQ
Sonia LeBel “flabbergasted”
Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel said she was “shocked to hear Ms.me Bouchard in the public square while we are asked for the negotiation to take place at the table.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel
“That being said, it is false to say that the government wants to increase travel,” she said in a written statement. “It is irresponsible to scare the population when our goal is to provide better care for them with better organization of work in hospitals.”
Sonia LeBel reiterates that the trips will be on a “voluntary basis” and “always with the appropriate training.” “We must continue to negotiate to reach an agreement. Our priority is the patient,” she concludes.
The government indicated on Thursday that its new proposals to the FIQ proposed “a different path to achieve our objective of flexibility that would allow us to better care for Quebecers.”
Precision
In an earlier version of this text, the name of Jean-Sébastien Blais, president of the local FIQ union in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, did not appear. One might have thought that his comments were those of Julie Bouchard. Our apologies.