This text is part of the special Syndicalism section
Nathalie Lévesque, president of the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ), explains the details of a situation that has not been tenable for a long time.
“The epidemic situation is improving greatly with the vaccination, but the government is maintaining the health emergency,” she said. Since March 2021, the Legault government has been invoking it so as not to negotiate with the unions. There is an abusive use of the health emergency to set aside all democratic principles and, at the same time, the unions from negotiations on basic issues affecting the working conditions of nursing and cardiorespiratory staff. There are some negotiations underway outside the framework, but, overall, these measures contravene what was negotiated under the previous collective agreement. “
In addition to maintaining this health emergency, mandatory overtime has been in place for more than a decade. This measure, which aims to make up for the shortage of personnel in the Quebec health sector, is starting to be more and more badly accepted. Indeed, the nursing staff is sometimes required to work nearly 12 hours of overtime per day.
The bonuses promised by the government are just sweets distributed without taking into account the fatigue of the staff. It is as if fatigue is convertible into cash.
Family life and the health of staff suffer as a result, as the trade unionist attests: “We have had compulsory overtime for ten years. There are enough. More resources are needed to successfully fill all the positions. This situation is very heavy for the nursing staff. You need intelligible schedule planning to be able to organize yourself in working life. Caregivers know when they arrive, but never when they leave. We are really asking for more humane management and scheduling of schedules that allow everyone to be able to live decently in professional and personal environments. The FIQ and the other unions agree: we want our collective agreement to be applied in its entirety. “
Health system weaknesses and weaknesses
The Caquista government is trying somehow to attract staff from the private sector, in particular by promising bonuses. New retirees are also targeted. The premiums, however, remain much lower than those offered by private hospitals. This pandemic made it possible to highlight the flaws and weaknesses of the Quebec health system. For several years, this system has been running out of steam, without means and archaic. The pandemic has made it possible to see this very concretely, affirms Nathalie Lévesque.
“We can clearly see through this health situation that the Quebec health system is doing badly. The nursing staff are at the end of their rope. The bonuses promised by the government are just sweets distributed without taking into account the fatigue of the staff, continues the president. It is as if fatigue is convertible into cash. There is a danger of exercising after 12 hours of work, and the care provided is not necessarily optimal. There should be firm commitments from the department to bring people back from the private sector to the public. The FIQ wishes to put the ratio project back at the heart of the negotiations in order to have the right number of patients for the right number of agents and thus be able to ensure adequate care. “
At the time, the ratios had succeeded in attracting retirees, who had returned to work in the health system. However, these were not able to stay long, because the project ended in 2018. Today, more than 11,000 caregivers are on sick leave or on disability leave, once again proof of a bloodless network. .
Nathalie Lévesque concludes: “We must invest massively in health, starting now. Too much delay has been taken by successive governments. The desired effects take years to show their benefits. It takes happiness at work to be able to provide quality patient care. The current pressure is very important for the staff, and the quality of care is affected. Despite this, the nursing staff is admirable in courage and pugnacity through this ordeal that is the pandemic. “