(Montreal) The FIQ negotiating committee has just begun a series of discussions with its local unions to find out what was expressed during the general meetings, what went wrong with the agreement in principle which was rejected by the members .
These discussions, which began in the middle of this week, will continue until next Tuesday with representatives of local unions, said the Interprofessional Health Federation.
And on April 29, the extraordinary federal council of the FIQ will meet to take stock. He will then decide what happens next, namely on what basis and how the union organization will relaunch its negotiations with the Quebec government.
The FIQ had reached an agreement in principle with Quebec to renew its collective agreements, which expired on March 31, 2023, but the members rejected it by 61%.
The question of the movement of nurses from care units, or even health establishments, is at the heart of the dispute which persists. Quebec says it needs more “flexibility” from nurses to meet needs where they arise. However, the nurses maintain that moving them in this way amounts to treating them like interchangeable pawns, without taking into account their experience.
The FIQ represents 80,000 nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists in all health establishments in Quebec.