(Quebec) As he had pledged to do in recent weeks, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, on Friday announced a series of easing of the criteria for access to the famous retention bonuses of $ 15,000 that the unions found it far too restrictive. A nurse will now be able to take 10 days of unpaid leave without being penalized.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) confirmed on Friday the adjustments that will be made to the ministerial order for the granting of retention and attraction bonuses ranging from $ 12,000 to $ 18,000 per nurse to full time. Minister Christian Dubé had already indicated that he would relax the conditions linked to his bonuses, criticized by five health unions.
One of the main points of contention was over leave without pay. According to the application guide of October 18 – which essentially popularizes the ministerial decree – the days without pay were sufficient to lose eligibility for the bonus. It was also specified “that a single day without pay is enough to cause this effect”, which had provoked the ire of the unions.
It should be understood that a full-time nurse in the network had to commit to respecting a series of conditions in order to have access to this premium. Therefore, if she was absent, she could have to repay certain amounts related to the bonus at the end of the year.
Faced with the outcry, Quebec had undertaken to review its criteria. Thus, we come to clarify the issue of unpaid leave. A nurse can therefore take up to 10 days of leave with or without pay without affecting eligibility or the calculation of premiums. Workers who work atypical schedules or who benefit from working time arrangements are also allowed to have access to bonuses.
Teaching staff in nursing and cardiorespiratory care will also be entitled to lump sums, in proportion to their schedule within the network. Finally, the program is extended until January 14, 2022. This is a month longer than what was initially planned.
“As with all the bonuses that we have announced since the start of the pandemic, our intention is clear: we want to grant them. So, following our announcement, we heard the concerns of field staff and the demands of labor organizations, and we agreed that adjustments were needed to allow flexibility and not hold people back from staying or leaving. return to the network, ”said Minister Dubé in a press release.
“Our priority is to offer staff a stimulating work environment, local management of schedules and thus further promote work-life balance. A culture of proximity and stability is profitable for everyone, ”he added.
The negotiation between the MSSS and the unions on the subject of retention bonuses had turned into a confrontation at the beginning of the month when Minister Dubé had gone to a full blast against the union organizations, on the sidelines of an announcement on vaccination. He said in particular that union representatives were “more concerned” with their own interests than those of their members because they too wanted to have access to bonuses.
Five union organizations, including the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ), have united on the issue.
In its weekly update published last Thursday, Quebec said that more than 1,221 people have been engaged in the health and social services network since the program began on September 23. In addition, there are 3,664 people who worked part-time and who accepted a full-time job upgrade.
Discussions are also underway with nearly 4,419 potential candidates.