Staff at Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis are expressing dissatisfaction over changes to overtime pay, which now lacks time-and-a-half compensation for certain hours worked beyond regular schedules. This issue coincides with significant job cuts affecting over 130 positions. Nurses have reported being paid regular rates for additional hours worked, despite previous practices. The CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches cites collective agreement provisions for these changes, while the union raises concerns about the timing of the pay alterations alongside layoffs.
Concerns Raised Over Overtime Pay at Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis
Staff members from the operating room at Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis are voicing their frustrations regarding the lack of overtime compensation at time and a half for specific hours worked beyond their regular schedule. This issue has emerged concurrently with the announcement of significant job cuts by the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches, which will affect over 130 positions.
Overtime Pay Discrepancies
Employees are particularly upset that their overtime is not compensated at the higher rate if they do not return to work the following day or within the same week after completing a shift. Chantal Coulombe, a dedicated nurse with nearly 25 years of experience, states that such a policy has never been enforced until now. “And now, they decide that it is no longer correct,” she remarks.
On the night of November 26 to 27, Chantal worked from 11:25 PM to 4 AM and was then called back from 6:20 AM to 7:30 AM. Although she felt capable of continuing her regular shift at 7:30 AM, she ended up leaving at 1 PM due to exhaustion. Unfortunately, she was compensated at a regular rate for the additional two hours she worked, rather than at the overtime rate. “It’s depressing that coming in for a night shift offers no motivation,” she laments.
Another nurse, Julie Gosselin, who holds a part-time day position but also works night shifts, has reported similar experiences. She finds that her night shifts, which were previously paid as overtime, are now compensated at a regular rate despite her complete attendance during the week. “Every time I come in for my night shifts, they always cut it to regular rate,” she expresses.
Laurie Pruneau Gosselin, also an operating room nurse, has been facing these pay discrepancies since September. She recounts a shift where she worked and was credited with 3.67 hours, but again, received regular pay because she did not return the following day.
This situation has sparked an open letter from concerned staff members. The CISSS-CA has pointed to a specific clause in the collective agreement regarding time recovery and recall to work, which they say dictates the current payment structure. According to spokesperson Dominique Lessard, “an employee who has time recovery from 7 AM to 3 PM and who comes in for her shift in the evening will not be paid at time and a half.” However, the union argues that this clause has remained unchanged and finds the timing of job cuts alongside the changes in overtime pay to be suspicious.
While the CISSS-CA insists that these pay alterations are unrelated to the upcoming job cuts and that they are reviewing the situation to ensure compliance with the collective agreement, the staff remains concerned about the implications for their compensation and morale.