The main nurses’ union in Quebec believes that François Legault’s government is showing “blackmail” in the negotiations on the renewal of its collective agreement, by linking the question of salary to that of the “flexibility” of nurses.
“The most recent proposals that the government has made to us are that as long as we do not open on the [question de la] flexibility – compulsory travel – salary offers will remain at 12.7%,” explains in an interview the president of the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ), Julie Bouchard.
“For us, it’s blackmail,” she says.
The question of the movement of nurses according to the needs of the employer is at the heart of the ongoing negotiations between Quebec and the main union of healthcare professionals in the province. The FIQ represents some 85,000 nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists.
On Thursday, the union made a public outing to give a voice to nurses who have compulsory travel.
Re(read) “The FIQ and Quebec “very far” from an agreement”
On Sunday, the union reiterated in a press release its opposition to the government’s vision.
“We have exposed all the possible issues involved in the compulsory travel required by the government,” underlines Julie Bouchard in a press release. This shows all the respect that the Legault government has for the women who control the health network at arm’s length. »
An opposing view
On the government side, we affirm that these trips will not be imposed.
“The government must ensure that there are enough nurses, at all times and in the right places, to provide adequate care to the population. As part of this negotiation, we do not want to force nurses to travel, we are rather offering a financial incentive to those who would like to go and lend a hand to their colleagues,” said the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia, this week. LeBel.
Sunday, during a joint press conference with Prime Minister François Legault, Mme Lebel reiterated that an agreement with the FIQ was still “very far away”.
“An agreement is the meeting of two wills. It takes will on both sides. We have demonstrated that we are capable of getting along,” she commented.
For Julie Bouchard, the flexibility requested by Quebec will not improve the working conditions of professionals, the cornerstone of staff retention. “This agreement must become a lever, for the network, to seek out healthcare professionals who have left it, and to seek out new ones,” she believes.
A conciliator has been present in the negotiations between the FIQ and Quebec since mid-December.
With the collaboration of Léa Carrier, The Press