Five hundred days after the expiry of the collective agreement of its 80,000 members, the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ) is is still under negotiation.
This unacceptable delay demonstrates the inaction and contempt of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) government towards the women who make up the health network, who fight daily to heal the wounds of a network on the verge of collapse.
Why, after 500 days, are we still at an impasse? Because the working conditions of nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists remain simply unacceptable.
Service disruptions, mandatory overtime, forced travel, often inadequate equipment and the difficulty of reconciling professional and personal life have become our daily lot. Despite this, we persist, because we know that our struggle is just and necessary.
Service breakdown
To prevent service disruptions caused by chronic understaffing, immediate action is needed. These disruptions put patients’ lives at risk. Every day, healthcare professionals must compensate for absences and understaffing, to the detriment of their own health and well-being.
The government must understand that these service breakdowns are not isolated incidents, but clear signs of a network that is neglecting the needs of its staff.
Mandatory overtime is an abomination after a grueling shift. Imposing it on healthcare professionals who are already physically and mentally exhausted is inhumane and irresponsible. This practice jeopardizes the quality of care and patient safety. Continuing to sacrifice the health of our caregivers on the altar of austerity and incompetence is intolerable.
Burden
Then, forced displacement and inadequate equipment add to our daily burden. Healthcare professionals often have to work in deplorable conditions, without the proper equipment to provide quality care. These disastrous working conditions are an insult to our commitment to patients and our expertise.
Finally, balancing work and personal life is another major challenge. Unpredictable schedules and excessive demands mean that many healthcare professionals simply cannot balance their work and family life. This is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately.
We continue to negotiate after 500 days because we firmly believe that decent working conditions are not only a fundamental right, but also a necessity to ensure quality care.
We can no longer be satisfied with half-measures or empty promises. Through concrete actions and real commitment, the government must improve our working conditions and the conditions of patient care.
Inertia
This 500e day without a collective agreement also underlines the urgency of considering an intensification of pressure tactics to make our voices heard. The status quo is intolerable. It is time to take action to obtain the recognition and working conditions that healthcare professionals have well deserved.
The CAQ government must break its inertia and respond to the urgent needs of healthcare professionals. It is crucial to listen to them, because the health of our population and the integrity of our public healthcare network depend on it.
Five hundred days later, the FIQ remains on the front line, determined and combative, ready to proudly raise the banner of respect for expertise for all its healthcare professionals.