(Quebec) It will no longer be necessary to obtain the agreement of unions to implement self-management of schedules in all hospitals in Quebec, welcomes the Legault government. According to him, this measure will help to reduce the use of compulsory overtime (TSO).
The Inter-Union Common Front (CSN, CSQ, FTQ and APTS) announced Friday that 74.8% of their 420,000 members adopted the agreement in principle reached at the central table during the holidays. The agreement provides for wage increases of 17.4% over five years – double what the government initially offered, union leaders stressed at a press conference.
The Legault government considers that it has achieved its objective of obtaining more “flexibility” in collective agreements in the health sector. “We have made significant gains which will help us in local management. I think it’s major,” said Health Minister Christian Dubé in an interview.
Workers in a care team or department will be able to determine their own schedules, with the responsibility of ensuring that shifts are filled. This is called the self-scheduling system. “We could not do it in all establishments without the agreement of the unions. Now we will be able to do it throughout Quebec,” said the president of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel. “When you need the union’s agreement to work a self-managed or atypical schedule each time, it’s a bit counterproductive. »
Prime Minister François Legault had deplored on numerous occasions that a union could “block” the arrangement of atypical schedules even when there was agreement between the manager and the employee.
Christian Dubé believes that the measure will reduce the TSO. Three other government objectives in the negotiations are achieved with the new agreement, according to him.
The increase in evening, night and weekend premiums will make these “unfavorable shifts” more attractive. The recruitment of private agency workers will be facilitated by recognizing them with up to 4 or 5 years of seniority. Greater staff mobility will be possible with the new flat-rate amounts of $50 to $100 per day provided for the voluntary movement of a worker to another department or another establishment, he added.