(Montreal) Unionized nurses, licensed practical nurses, counselors and technicians from Héma-Québec went on strike again on Wednesday as part of the negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreement, which remain at an impasse.
Posted at 10:57 a.m.
Updated at 4:01 p.m.
The Héma-Québec nurses’ union (SPI) had planned picket lines in front of four Globule centers in the Montreal region and in front of the Bell Center where a blood drive was held all day. The walkouts were only to cover essentially the meal breaks of unionized employees in order to maintain the activities recognized as essential services.
This is the fourth day of strike action by the 131 members of the SPI, affiliated with the Centrale des unions du Québec, since last July.
At the heart of the dispute is the salary issue. The union criticizes the employer for persisting in wanting to put an end to the parity of nurses and licensed practical nurses with their colleagues in the public health network.
“Héma-Québec wants to take away this achievement that we have always had,” laments a spokesperson for the union, Brendra Cousineau, nursing assistant.
“At the end of the day, it lowers wages. In the long term for nurses, it makes a big difference in thousands of dollars. And for nursing assistants, it’s a big difference even in the short term. At the entrance, she would earn much less than what she should earn at the first level, ”she explains in an interview.
The nursing staff is demanding an adjustment following the salary increases of the last few years in the public network, while a freeze has prevailed since 2018 on the side of Héma-Québec. This last situation leads to difficulties for the retention and hiring of the workforce, advances Mr.me Cousineau.
“We are experiencing a major shortage of employees in the company because of this. We sometimes have to cancel blood drives because we don’t have any employees,” she says.
For its part, management maintains that it has submitted a salary offer that matches that of nurses in the public sector at the maximum of their level. The employer considers that they currently provide “very good” conditions, but they must be put into perspective with the work environment of its nurses, which differs from that of the network.
“Héma-Québec staff will work in a context where healthy people come (to make a donation). The work environment is not similar to that of the nursing staff who had to respond to the two infanticides at Cité-de-la-Santé (in Laval). There is no night work,” maintains the director of public relations, Laurent Paul Ménard.
“We are not saying that it is a job that is easy. We need their expertise, he says. That being said, can we agree that the conditions offered are good, that we are trying to find a settlement, and to compare with comparables? »
Mme Cousineau mentions that the Héma-Québec nursing staff is also faced with compulsory overtime and unstable schedules.
SPI members working in Greater Montreal have been without a contract for more than three and a half years. Mr. Ménard mentions the holding of some thirty negotiation sessions, including 19 with an arbitrator appointed by the Ministry of Labor at the request of the employer.
This summer, nearly 500 Héma-Québec workers in five unions voted in favor of an agreement in principle for the renewal of their collective agreement. These are laboratory technicians, nurses (in Quebec), drivers and other job titles.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.