Noting an “impasse” in its negotiations with Quebec, the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ) is putting the start of a new strike back on the table as early as September. The Legault government, for its part, assures that it is “available at all times” to discuss.
The FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals, met this week at a special federal council to take stock of negotiations with the Treasury Board. They resumed after FIQ members rejected by 61% the agreement in principle that had been reached regarding the renewal of the collective agreement.
However, “we have reached an impasse. We have reached the end of the discussions,” said Jérôme Rousseau, vice-president of the FIQ and co-responsible for the negotiation, in an interview on Friday.
The FIQ already has a strike mandate. Its members walked out for a few days in November and December 2023. The same strike mandate could therefore be reactivated as soon as the school year starts in September, warned Mr. Rousseau. “Yes, the strike mandate is still there. We will not hesitate to use it,” he said.
A possibility that the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, agrees she cannot block. “The choice of whether or not to use pressure tactics belongs to the union,” she stressed in a written statement sent by her office on Friday.
The Coalition avenir Québec representative did not fail to point out, however, that “the government now has agreements with more than 85% of employees in the public and parapublic sectors, including all other groups of nurses.” The Front commun syndical and the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement reached an agreement with Quebec at the beginning of the year. Last week, the Sûreté du Québec police officers reached a new agreement in principle with the government.
“Negotiations are continuing with the FIQ and will continue this summer: our teams are available at all times,” recalled Mr.me LeBel in his statement on Friday, before stating that “although adjustments are possible, the financial framework and [les] goals [du gouvernement] remain the same.”
If the impasse continues, Jérôme Rousseau maintained, new pressure tactics await Quebec in the fall. “Obviously, we want to move forward, but rather quickly,” he said. “Our members are ready; that’s what we’re hearing on the ground.”
With The Canadian Press