To the sound of horns, hundreds of nurses demonstrated Wednesday in Rimouski, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, in front of the hotel where the CAQ pre-sessional caucus is taking place. They say they are dissatisfied with the latest offer made by Quebec, as part of negotiations over their collective agreement that have lasted for more than 500 days.
In a press release, the president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé (FIQ), Julie Bouchard, stressed that her teams “remain in a state of almost permanent instability, overwhelmed by deplorable working conditions.” “Our members want to continue to make themselves heard, they ask us to make their voices loud and clear, and that is the reason for our presence at the government caucus and at several other actions in the coming weeks.”
Last Friday, the union refused the latest offer made by the Legault government, saying that its proposals “only worsen an already intolerable situation.” “They require even greater flexibility than that massively rejected by healthcare professionals last April,” the FIQ deplored in a press release.
The agreement in principle reached in the spring between the union and Quebec was rejected by 61% of its members. They fear being moved from one place to another without having a say.
For her part, the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, believes that greater mobility of FIQ members is “vital” in order to improve access to health care for the population. On Wednesday, the conciliator therefore called both parties to the negotiating table to resume work.
The collective agreement of the FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists, expired on March 31, 2023.
Further details will follow.
With Marie-Michèle Sioui