This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
Magali Picard, president of the Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ), which has more than 600,000 members, answers questions from our collaborator on health reform in Quebec, the promise of an anti-scab law at the federal level and the recent protection of pension plans, as well as the importance, according to her, of a plan drug insurance public and universal.
Health reform
The Minister of Health of Quebec, Christian Dubé, talks a lot about Bill 15 as that of decentralization. Why, according to the FTQ, is it rather the opposite?
Magali Picard: With the bill introduced, there will no longer really be any management that will be done in the regions of Quebec. Everything will be centralized. We have no problem with the single employer suggested, Santé Québec, but we do not see the share of regions and regional directors within the board of directors. This is worrying, because there are disparities and special needs in the regions to be managed.
Instead of the current 136 bargaining tables with the unions, there would only be 4. Is the FTQ opposed to these mergers?
But a merger of accreditations, we can call it forced raiding, it is never positive on the ground. We experienced it under Minister Barrette. The people we represent don’t need to see the unions bickering again. What they need is support, new approaches. We have heard them and we will collaborate.
We believe that there are other ways to achieve the same ends by avoiding these mergers and we are discussing them. I can’t say anything except that Minister Dubé is listening and that we are working together with the union partners.
How do you experience this merger project while you are negotiating collective agreements?
The moment is very badly chosen. But negotiations in the public sector affect 400,000 people in health, social services and education. There are serious expectations on their part. We have a duty to represent all these people and to stay motivated.
Anti-scab law
Ottawa has pledged to introduce anti-scab legislation this year, for which consultations ended in January. What would such a law have changed in the strike called by 155,000 federal employees this month?
Several civil servants have received emails from their employers inviting them to telecommute during the strike, to break the picket lines. It doesn’t make sense, even if it’s legal. As soon as there are strikebreakers, it harms the unions’ ability to negotiate and the balance of power is not equal. It’s amazing that we still have to fight for that today!
In Quebec, we have had anti-scab provisions since 1977. They do not penalize employers, but on the contrary ensure more effective, faster and good faith negotiations. If we had had federal legislation, we might not have 155,000 public servants on strike today.
An employer who uses scabs should be able to be prosecuted or fined, and that includes telecommuting. Moreover, the law in Quebec must be updated to reflect this new reality.
Do you think Ottawa will keep its promise?
We have every reason to believe so. We hope the government stays in power long enough to hold it.
Pension plans
For years, unions have fought to protect defined benefit pension plans in the event of corporate bankruptcy. This is done with the passage of Bill C-228. Are you satisfied?
It’s an excellent decision. And we must salute them, these decisions, because we really need them.
However, even though pension liabilities come before secured and unsecured creditors, we would have liked them to be really number one. Rather, retirees appear just after financial institutions. We believe, at the FTQ, that the banks are better equipped to deal with a company that goes bankrupt than a retired worker.
But being number two is better than being bottom of the list of creditors. If the fight is to be continued, we will. For now, we are savoring this victory, even if it is imperfect.
The bill was introduced by Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu. According to her, it was able to be adopted because it was reduced to the essentials to achieve consensus. Was this the right approach?
Yes, because we have a victory. Before this law was passed, we were in a worst-case scenario. We now have a solid base and we will see if we have to resume this fight. An elephant is eaten one bite at a time.
Public and universal drug insurance plan
Why is the FTQ planning an increasingly sustained campaign to demand a public and universal prescription drug insurance plan?
The existence of a group insurance plan covering drugs, mandatory as soon as it is offered by the employer, can represent an enormous burden for workers who earn close to the minimum wage and part-time workers. Some people cut back on medication because they couldn’t make ends meet, and others end up with less than $100 in salary the week they have to pay their insurance premium.
As for the public prescription drug insurance plan, it does not cover several drugs and is still expensive.
Quebecers made the choice, a long time ago, to live in a fairer and more egalitarian society. We have a government rich enough to announce a tax cut. With skyrocketing drug prices and this burden for some workers, it is more important than ever to provide a public and universal drug insurance plan.
What is the main problem with the coexistence of a public plan and several private plans in Quebec?
It’s the cost. Since there are several plans, we lose a great deal of bargaining power with pharmaceutical companies when it comes time to seek better benefits, better prices or to cover more drugs. We would be able to have much better coverage for much less if there was only one for all Quebecers.
Across Canada, it is estimated that savings from amalgamation would be $5 billion to $10 billion per year.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.