Support workers at Urgences-santé, which provides ambulance services in Montreal and Laval, will be on strike for 36 hours, from midnight Monday to noon Tuesday.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
The staff on strike is made up of attendants and mechanics who take care of the maintenance of vehicles and medical equipment. Essential services will be maintained, the strike mainly affecting administrative tasks.
These employees have been without a collective agreement since March 31, 2020. “Negotiations are at an impasse and no negotiation date is scheduled before September,” denounces the union in a press release.
“We are short of personnel, sighs Marc Dulude, president of the union. We are no longer able to attract people because we don’t have winning conditions, and we are no longer able to retain our people for the same reasons. »
No less than 45 support staff out of a total of 120 have left the organization since January, according to the union. The latter is calling for incentives, but Urgences-santé has instead called on an external firm to make up for the lack of personnel.
According to Mr. Dulude, this contract costs more than the incentives requested by the union, in addition to creating a bad working climate within the organization. The Treasury Board was unable to answer questions from The Press Friday night.
Urgences-santé spokesperson Stéphane Smith did not respond to questions from The Press concerning the demands of the union, in order “not to interfere with the negotiations”.
Also grappling with difficult working conditions and a shortage of manpower, the Urgences-santé paramedics’ union also exercised pressure tactics earlier this week.