The Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), which represents nurses in particular, considers the government’s latest offer, which provides for a salary increase of 12.7% over five years, to be “clearly insufficient”. “It even borders on insulting, I would say,” said FIQ president Julie Bouchard in a video posted on Facebook.
Meeting in the Federal Council on Wednesday, the FIQ delegates rejected 99% of the government’s latest proposal.
According to Julie Bouchard, “what stumbles the most” in the negotiations relates to working time arrangements, salary, the professional-patient ratio (number of patients that nurses must take care of, for example, as well as in regarding the increases in evening, night and weekend premiums.
“From now on, we will continue our pressure tactics,” continues Julie Bouchard in her video. They are effective. The pace increased at the negotiating tables. There are also movements taking place. »
The 80,000 members of the FIQ — nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and perfusionists — will walk off the job from December 11 to 14.
Member unions of the Common Front, which represent health and social service workers among others, will be on strike from December 8 to 14. They will take stock of the state of the negotiations on Thursday, at 11 a.m., in Quebec.
Further details will follow.