Payments owed to thousands of healthcare workers for months have finally begun to flow.
The Canadian Press revealed last October that thousands of beneficiary attendants were victims of these late payments, which concern salary increases and bonuses, and even pay equity payments dating back to 2010.
Then, in early November, The Canadian Press reported that nurses were also affected by the same late payments.
Quebec then explained these payment delays by the many changes to be made to payroll, as well as the number of employees affected – which meant that the private companies that process the payroll could not make the changes in time. This all happened after the renewal of collective agreements in the public sector.
The duty revealed in mid-February that the government then owed health care workers $2.4 billion in bonuses and wage increases.
They were angry, especially since Quebec was asking them even more, in times of a pandemic, and even suspended clauses of their collective agreements.
However, the situation is in the process of being resolved, even if all is not clear and that the payments sometimes come from advances which are paid to the workers.
“There is still a lot of mistrust. There are some who have advances; they don’t know how much they’ll get. Our world has not recovered from all the time it took,” exclaimed in an interview Sylvie Nelson, president of the Quebec Union of Service Employees (SQEES), affiliated with the Quebec Federation of Labor ( FTQ), which represents beneficiary attendants.
“We hope that there are not too many errors” in these payments, hastens to add Ms. Nelson.
The SQEES reported that the majority of bonuses and salary increases due had started to be paid, and this, in most health establishments.
Not yet for fairness
However, this is not the case for pay equity payments, which date back several years, namely 2010 or 2015. These pay equity payments also affect administrative assistants, for example.
“Premier Legault told us: ‘I’m going to put money back in the pockets of Quebecers’ [lors du budget de mardi]. I can not wait to see it ; no problem with that. But he should perhaps, first, start thinking about settling the debt he owes to thousands of Quebec women. Because they too, their wallets… they’ve been waiting for more than 11 years for the money we owe them,” said Ms. Nelson.
“Not for all” nurses
On the side of the FIQ (Fédération interprofessionnelle en santé), we describe a situation “of very variable geometry” after a sounding of its members.
Thus, retroactive payments and salary increases have begun to be paid, but “not for everyone”, indicated Monday the union organization of nurses, nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals.
And above all, several bonuses provided for in the collective agreement have still not been paid, as well as other bonuses announced in the ministerial decrees, added the FIQ.