The Héma-Québec nurses’ union called a strike on Wednesday to denounce the slowness of negotiations with the employer party.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
More than three years after the end of the last collective agreement, and almost two years after the start of negotiations, 132 nurses, licensed practical nurses, counselors and technicians are members of the Héma-Québec nursing staff union (SPI-CSQ) who will be on strike at Héma-Québec’s head office in Montreal as well as at its permanent collection centers and mobile collections in the metropolitan area.
“What we denounce is the lack of speed and progress in the discussions. We have been in negotiations for several months, even several years. We are struggling to settle items [de la convention collective]even the simplest,” insists Fannie Cloutier, vice-president of the SPI-CSQ, on the line with The Press.
The collective agreement of the Héma-Québec nurses union expired on March 31, 2019, while negotiations officially began on September 18, 2020.
Nearly thirty negotiation sessions have taken place so far and a conciliator was appointed to the file on January 20th.
“During the last negotiation session, last Monday, we noted that the employer lacks seriousness and rigor in its returns. If there had really been progress, we would have been ready to go on strike, ”adds M.me Cloutier.
Wages and TSO at the heart of negotiations
Among the main points of contention is the disparity between the salaries of Héma-Québec nurses and those of nurses in the public network.
“Our salaries have been frozen since 1er April 2018. So, there are disparities between salaries at Héma-Québec and those offered in the public network, which makes it difficult to recruit new members,” points out Fannie Cloutier.
Héma-Québec nurses also have to deal with compulsory overtime (TSO), accentuated by a significant lack of staff, and difficulties in taking their full days off due to the busy schedule of blood drives.
According to her, the lack of staff is significant enough that only two out of four GLOBULE blood collection centers operate at full capacity on weekends.
However, it assures that blood drives will be little affected by the strike, since Héma-Québec provides essential services under the Quebec Labor Code.
“We agreed with the employer to grant a strike period during which there would be no appointments and to redistribute them well during the day. We will provide the same quality of service as usual, ”she explains.
As for the speed of service, Mme Cloutier warns that the abandonment of certain tasks during the strike could have a slight impact on the speed of service.
On the side of Héma-Québec, it is indicated that the negotiations are continuing “smoothly”. Laurent Paul Ménard, director of public relations, adds that he “hopes” that the employer will reach “a negotiated settlement as soon as possible” with the nurses.