The Quebec Association of Speech Therapists and Audiologists (AQOA) took a position on Friday against the agreement in principle of the Common Front.
“What we see through this proposed agreement is that we do not feel that the role of speech therapists and audiologists is recognized at its true value. This is what leads to disappointment,” he told The Press the president of the AQOA board of directors, Marie-Philippe Rodrigue.
The major irritants concern salary increases, the difference in conditions compared to their specialist colleagues, as well as the reimbursement of the Order’s expenses reserved for full-time speech therapists and audiologists.
“Based on an annualized salary, speech therapists and audiologists have lower salary conditions than those of teachers. Teachers do a colossal and admirable job, but some speech therapists and audiologists have a bachelor’s degree in teaching and a master’s degree in addition,” says M.me Rodrigue.
In terms of salaries, the Common Front obtained increases of 17.4% over five years. Speech therapists and audiologists were hoping for a more substantial salary increase, in order to make up for “the accumulated backlog”.
Of bitterness
“The psychologists will have had attraction and retention bonuses that we do not have in the agreement in principle, which gives a little bitterness,” says Marie-Philippe Rodrigue.
All psychologists in the health and education networks will also obtain a 10% salary increase, regardless of the number of hours worked. Psychologists who work five days a week will benefit from an additional bonus of 6.5%.
Earlier this week, The Press reported that speech therapists in the public network judge the Common Front’s new agreement in principle “extremely disappointing” and are preparing to vote against the proposal. Specialists deplore in particular that Quebec plans to reimburse up to half of the contributions to professional orders only to employees with a full-time position.
Already in October, there remained 156 speech therapist positions to be filled in the public network, as reported The Press in November. This is 21 more positions than at the same date in 2022.
Since Monday, members of the Common Front have been called to vote on the agreement. More than half of them will have to vote in favor of the agreement for it to be accepted.