The nurse who ate a peanut butter toast will not be suspended, the CISSS de la Montérégie-Est said Monday afternoon, while apologizing to the employee. Quebec had in particular pressed to correct the situation.
“The measure was too severe for the act committed,” said the CISSS in a press release, adding that the “situation does not call into doubt [les] professional skills” of the nurse.
The story was first reported by the Montreal Journal, Friday. The nurse at the CHSLD Chevalier-De Lévis, in Longueuil, who had not had time to have lunch before coming to work, was accused of having stolen a slice of bread intended for the residents.
The management of the CISSS then made the decision to suspend it for three days in December, despite a context of staff shortage. Supported by Quebec and the Union of Care Professionals of Montérégie-Est (FIQ-SPSME), the nurse was finally able to stay in her job.
“If we want to attract and retain healthcare professionals in our establishment, […] the managers will have to show greater discernment,” reacted the president of the FIQ-SPSME, Brigitte Petrie, on Monday. “We are extremely pleased that the employer has reversed its decision and that the member can receive an apology,” she added.
The union said it was “deeply shocked by the disproportionate and unjustified disciplinary action” when the news broke.
Quebec also lobbied to correct the situation. Monday afternoon, the Minister for Health and Seniors, Sonia Bélanger, said she had “asked the CISSS for explanations and the CEO agreed that the measure was too severe”. “The managers involved in the processing of the file will be met,” she added.
In its press release, the CISSS for its part assured that “the mechanism for handling disciplinary measures will be analyzed and revised so that such a situation does not happen again”. “This incident does not represent the values of our establishment or the way we wish to treat our employees. »