Youth protection workers “remained hungry” after the conclusion of union agreements in the network in January. In the eyes of employees interviewed by The dutythe minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, had no business talking about salary catch-up last fall.
“There are several of us who do not agree with the signing of all this,” Xavier Landry immediately emphasizes. A social worker at the Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ) of Chaudière-Appalaches, he voted against the agreement in principle concluded in the winter by the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services ( APTS), which represents it.
“Yes, we have a 10% bonus, but we are having a 7% bonus taken away from us,” he says on the other end of the phone.
Like the rest of their colleagues in the network represented by the Union Common Front, social workers in youth protection will see their salary increased by 17.4% until 2028. They will also benefit from purchasing power protection which can “go up to 1% for each of the last three years of the collective agreement” and will be able to be reimbursed part of the membership to their professional order.
The 7% bonus paid until now to those involved in evaluating reports will be replaced by a bonus of 6% to 10%, calculated according to the number of hours worked. The highest amount will be granted to those who work 70 hours or more in two weeks.
We have a 17% increase, I think that’s unheard of. We must still recognize that we have had certain increases, but where the problem lies is in the bonuses
With these bonuses, “income can go up to $114,000 for social workers who work in youth centers, whereas they could earn up to $93,760 before,” calculates Minister Carmant’s office. “Ultimately, taking into account premiums, this is an increase of $20,000 compared to the old agreement. »
“But ultimately,” notes Xavier Landry, “we have a bonus of 3%. “A bonus that will not help keep DPJ employees in the network as Minister Carmant wishes, predicts another DPJ social worker interviewed by The dutyIsabelle C. Morin.
“We have a 17% increase, I think that’s unheard of. We must still recognize that we have had certain increases, but where the problem lies is in the bonuses,” she says.
Exodus
In interview with The duty, last September, Minister Carmant agreed that the 7% bonus offered to DPJ workers had not made it possible to put an end to the exodus of social workers to the CLSC network. “It didn’t have its effect,” he said, on the sidelines of the Day dedicated to the well-being and protection of youth, in Quebec.
Despite the improvement obtained as part of the negotiations, the gap with social workers outside the DPJ remains too low, deplores Isabelle C. Morin, who is a worker at the DPJ of Montérégie-Est. When it comes into force, the collective agreement will offer a bonus of up to 3.5% for social workers outside the DPJ network who work with people with serious behavioral disorders. This is a gap of 6.5 percentage points with their colleagues in youth protection.
” Is it that [notre prime] will be sufficient to prevent the exodus or slow down the exodus? I think that asking the question is answering it,” says Mme Morin, recalling that DPJ workers “work under the aegis of a law” and must constantly “manage situations that prevent them from sleeping at night”.
I think the government has gone too far in its assertions. For him, “significant” is equal to 10%. For me, in my definition, “significant” is not that.
During the negotiation period, the president of the APTS, Robert Comeau, was able to see that the community “really expected salary increases”. “There were bonuses there. What we always deplore in the bonus phenomenon is that it does not count on the retirement plan,” he emphasizes. “For people who are reaching retirement […]it’s still sad,” continues Mme Morin.
“More significant difference”
In an interview, Mr. Comeau agrees that the agreement signed at the beginning of the year did not only make the DPJ happy. “People still remained satisfied,” he said.
In September, however, Minister Carmant was clear. “There really needs to be a more significant difference between those who work at the CLSC, in other programs, and those who work in youth protection. Because it is a difficult job, which requires understanding a law. Which is psychologically heavier, too,” he argued in front of an all-hearing audience in Quebec.
According to Mme Morin, it was proof that the minister had “heard the message very well”. Since becoming aware of the content of the agreements, she has felt “abandoned”.
For his part, Xavier Landry remembers feeling “motivated” that day by Mr. Carmant’s words. “Did he promise things that he could not do in the context of collective agreement negotiations? Is it in the projects that this could possibly be done? » he wonders out loud, six months later.
“I think the government has gone too far in its assertions,” maintains Robert Comeau. For him, “significant” is equal to 10%. For me, in my definition, “significant” is not that. »
Lionel Carmant, for his part, believes that he has obtained “significant gains for the stakeholders”. “ [L’entente] will help us attract more manpower and retain our experienced workers,” his office argued in an email exchange on Monday.
Separate job title?
Robert Comeau claims to have heard the grievances of the DPJ speakers during the negotiations. “We always have the phenomenon of revolving doors,” he explains.
How is it, then, that general support for the APTS’ agreement in principle has been so strong? “We represent a tiny minority of employees, ultimately,” emphasizes Xavier Landry. This means that we have no decision-making weight. The majority won. »
In its report delivered in 2021, the Laurent commission on children’s rights and youth protection recommended the creation of a specific job title for DPJ workers. In the meantime, however, “for a question of fairness, the government cannot give different salaries to employees who exercise the same profession,” writes Minister Carmant’s office.