(Montreal) The nurses and nursing assistants employed by Héma-Québec have just given themselves a strike mandate.
The two nurses’ unions that represent them, one at the CSQ, the other at the CSN, are forming an alliance for the present negotiations. Both voted in favor of a strike mandate to be called at the appropriate time.
The two unions intend to coordinate their pressure tactics and will discuss the “mobilization plan” over the next few days.
“There will be talks. Will it be rotating? Will it be at the same time? Honestly, I can’t answer the question right now. But it is certain that the alliance of nurses, we are all together, we want the same common goal, “said in an interview Nancy Landry, president of the Union of nursing staff, affiliated with the CSQ, at Héma-Québec.
As this is the health sector, any strike would be subject to the essential services provisions of the Labor Code.
In the past, when they had held a few days of strike, they had been able to strike for 50 minutes a day, said Ms.me Landry. Blood collections had therefore been maintained, but appointments had to be moved, she said.
The dispute concerns wages; these nurses and nursing assistants are demanding parity with their colleagues in the public sector.
“For anyone at the top of the echelons, they give the network equivalence. But all those who are at the bottom of the top of the rung, they have a difference with the network, apart from the first two rungs, because they want to be attractive to new people coming out of school, I believe. , explained Vanessa Poirier, president of the union of nurses and nursing assistants affiliated with the CSN.
Invited to comment, the management of Héma-Québec had not yet made its comments known, at the time of writing these lines.