The Minister responsible for Sports, Recreation and the Outdoors, Isabelle Charest, was recently arrested by employees of her department who complained of working for months in a toxic climate. Through the Syndicate of Professionals of the Government of Quebec (SPGQ), they wrote a letter to Mr.me Charest to demand his intervention.
In the document, obtained by The duty, they claim that their efforts with the department’s human resources department and senior management have yielded no results. “Nothing is going well with the office of the assistant deputy minister (BSMA) which maintains a toxic work climate, they write. Confidence is no longer there, the climate is getting worse, the troops are exhausted and morale is at an all-time low. »
Since the arrival in 2021 of the current assistant deputy minister, Josée Lepage, about half of the fifty employees she leads have left, while 15 have been granted sick leave, they say. “We ask you to please hear the cry from the heart of your teams and to act as soon as possible to correct the situation that currently prevails with the BSMA”, they claim to Mr.me Charest.
The duty spoke to three people who worked or recently worked in the sports, recreation and outdoor sector, who did not want to be identified for fear of sanctions. They also refused to have their personal case described to avoid being recognized. All complained of micromanagement by Ms.me Lepage and one of his assistants. Repeated interventions and questions ended up undermining the confidence of the staff, they allege.
Ongoing investigation
In an interview, the president of the SPGQ, Guillaume Bouvrette, said that the letter from the employees was sent to Mr.me Charest last week. “It is not advancing at the speed we would like to see it advance, hence our request for intervention, because these issues will directly affect the ability of his department to deliver,” he said. Tuesday.
Mr. Bouvrette refrained from giving names or details on the situation in order to protect the people involved who, he deplored, are exposed to the risk of reprisals. “The goal is to make corrections so that people are well, he explained. There seem to be issues of staff turnover, absence, significant disability rates. »
The union did not want to reveal the exact number of employees who supported the letter sent to Mr.me Charest. But it would be, according to him, the majority. “It’s serious enough to ask the minister to act directly,” said Mr. Bouvrette.
The SPGQ has opened an investigation to have more details in anticipation of a meeting with Mr.me Charest. “We use tools in the field to investigate; all kinds of questionnaires that will target organizational risk factors in terms of well-being and work organization,” said its president.
Mr. Bouvrette had high hopes of being able to get a meeting with the minister in the coming weeks. “Given the summer holidays, we are trying to tie it down as quickly as possible,” he said.
Reported situations
Mme Charest declined to comment on the situation. His office relayed the requests to the Ministry of Education, which administratively reports to the Ministry of Sports, Recreation and the Outdoors. It was not possible to obtain an interview with M.me The page.
“Out of respect for the individuals involved, the ministry will not comment on the situations or procedures currently in progress,” replied the ministry’s press relations officer, Bryan St-Louis, by email.
Mr. St-Louis affirmed that the ministry is in a period of transformation, which can generate certain “fears and apprehensions”.
“In this context, we confirm that situations have been reported,” he said. These are analyzed individually, based on the facts, and the required actions are taken quickly. »
The department said the number of employees on sick leave is lower than the 15 claimed by union members.
“That being said, the reasons for the sick leave counted can be of different durations and of different orders,” said the spokesperson.
As for departures, Mr. St-Louis indicated that the turnover rate has been in “marked decline” since the ministerial reorganization.
According to the spokesperson, a ministerial action plan has been drawn up so that concrete measures can be put in place quickly “in order to achieve the objectives of the ministry concerning performance and the work climate”.