The rejection of the agreement in principle by 61% of the members of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) demonstrates the fed up of a group of workers who have had a hard time over time. , but also a spectacular distrust of the government, which leads to some excesses. While we must preserve Quebec’s desire for flexibility but also take into account the quality of the working conditions of these health heroines, the paths to a possible settlement are not obvious.
Negotiations have now been going on for 16 months with this group of public sector employees on whom a large part of the proper functioning of a undermined health network depends. It is no exaggeration to say that the success of the plan to overhaul the health network that the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, is working on depends largely on a positive outcome in the talks with the FIQ.
Until now, as much as the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, has been firm and constant in her desire to hold the keys to flexibility, professionals have held a hard line: to improve the conditions of patient care, their working conditions will have to be improved. On March 21, the FIQ delegates approved a proposed agreement in principle. It was presented to members by referendum vote on April 10, 11 and 12. With a participation rate that says a lot about their fury and commitment (77%), the nurses responded that it was not enough.
In addition to salary increases of 17.4% over five years, the agreement covered compulsory overtime, the famous TSO (compulsory overtime) — now “required only in emergency and exceptional situations that arise” — and on increased flexibility, by allowing the creation of “activity centers” on more than one installation, and therefore the potential movement of employees. It seems that these two points still cause dissatisfaction.
Friday, the president of the FIQ, Julie Bouchard, said she was “disappointed” by the massive rejection of the agreement. Monday, at the microphone of All one morning, on Radio-Canada, she clarified that she was not disappointed with the members but with herself. Mme Bouchard blames himself for having seen gains at the negotiating table where members perceived insufficient concessions. Among other things, the mobility of nurses seems to have shocked rather than reassured. Will the two parties be able to move forward on this point despite a significant breakdown in the bond of trust? The concept flirts quite closely with what appears to be excessive distrust.
The proposal relating to mobility specifies that the employer, to the extent possible, will protect the employees’ home base, in addition to providing the procedure to follow in the event of a change of place of employment. Likewise, for overtime, it is indicated that “the employer takes steps to avoid calling on compulsory overtime”.
According to the president of the FIQ, these employer claims are received with a skepticism that borders on pure disbelief. “This distrust is omnipresent in the discourse of our members,” said Mme Bouchard, in interview with host Patrick Masbourian. Scalded by parts of convention and writings that employers would not respect, nurses no longer believe in good will. Hence this shocking declaration: “We know full well that our employers will abuse. » According to him, as soon as the opportunity arises, health managers who look like malicious despots will force nurses to travel miles between two destinations.
It is difficult to negotiate in good faith when one of the parties is doomed in advance. What route will remain if any progress proposed by the employer is frustrated in the name of a future and hypothetical “abuse”? Against a backdrop of a breakdown in the bond of trust, the negotiation progresses in a tortuous manner, as this rejection of a negotiated agreement demonstrates. But if this is so, it will be argued, it is because nurses have too often paid the price of the acceptable compromise, the additional concession, the last minute request. It is totally true.
Let’s be frank: isn’t it outrageous that it is this profession with a large female majority that has fallen under the steamroller of the TSO? But to protest against this measure in cases where necessary, there were grievance procedures which were respected. The agreement also plans to resolve the approximately 30,000 individual and collective grievances filed in the case of compulsory overtime.
The FIQ delegates want to survey their members again to find out the points of dissension and then be better ambassadors at the tables. We cannot magically instill trust in parties who lack it, although this seems to be exactly the missing ingredient to find common ground that will improve working conditions and give more flexibility to managers who have it. need.