As Quebec begins to reduce its use of the services of personnel placement agencies, the Association of Private Nursing Personnel Companies of Quebec denounces an “aggressive” recruitment strategy across the province to convince agency workers to enter the public sector.
What there is to know
Starting this Monday, establishments of the CISSS des Laurentides will reduce the use of independent labor.
The other CISSS and CIUSSS must also undertake a gradual reduction in the use of agencies, in order to have eliminated it completely by 2026.
Managers are leading “aggressive campaigns” to convince employees to join the health network, estimates the Association of Private Healthcare Personnel Companies of Quebec.
As of this Monday, several establishments of the CISSS des Laurentides will gradually reduce the use of independent labor, we can read in a letter from the human resources department.
obtained by The Press.
This is the case of Mirabel, the MRC of Thérèse-De Blainville and the MRC of Deux-Montagnes. Their establishments must have completely stopped using agency workers from October 13. Facilities in the rest of the Laurentians territory will gradually reduce the use of these workers from 1er april.
All CISSS and CIUSSS will also have to begin a gradual reduction in the use of personnel placement agencies. The objective is to completely eliminate the use of agencies in the health network by 2026, as provided for in Bill 10 adopted last February.
The intention of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, is thus to “liberate” the health network from dependence on independent labor from private employment agencies.
Interim targets
The deadline for the ban to come into force for any health establishment is different depending on the region. In large urban centers such as Montreal and Laval, the use of agencies must have been eliminated by 2024. “Middle-town” regions such as Mauricie and the Laurentides must follow suit by October 2025.
In order to meet planned deadlines, interim targets for reducing the use of agencies must be achieved by certain deadlines, indicates the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
“It should be noted that establishments can voluntarily undertake actions aimed at reducing the use of agencies more quickly if they wish. Also, recruitment is a prerogative of the establishments,” indicated to The Press MSSS media relations advisor Francis Martel.
The Press reported in November that the Legault government hopes to recruit thousands of workers and convince them to join the public sector.
“Aggressive” recruitment strategy
“What we are observing on the ground is that at the moment, there are aggressive campaigns targeting our employees, with methods that are questionable to say the least. They want to force our employees to forcibly integrate the health network,” deplores Patrice Lapointe, president of the Association of Private Healthcare Personnel Companies of Quebec.
Different methods are used to convince employees to opt for the public network, says Mr. Lapointe.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Patrice Lapointe, president of the Association of private healthcare personnel companies of Quebec
There are managers who meet agency employees and tell them that they have 48 hours to decide: either they get hired by the CIUSSS or they no longer have a job.
Patrice Lapointe, president of the Association of private healthcare personnel companies of Quebec
Or, another example given by Mr. Lapointe, agency workers who are granted a full-time mandate see their shifts canceled at the last minute by their manager, who invites them to apply for a job in the network. public if they seek more stability.
Mr. Lapointe asks to meet the government and says he is ready to work on regulating the industry. “Unfortunately, we are instead faced with a government which prefers to adopt a scorched earth policy, even if it means that the provision of care deteriorates and we lose hundreds, even thousands of care professionals who will reorient their career. »
With the collaboration of Fanny Lévesque, The Press