2024-08-02 13:58:32
Public health flying squadrons will soon be able to welcome social service workers, thanks to an agreement signed between the Alliance of Professional Technicians in Health and Social Services (APTS) and the province of Quebec. Their eventual arrival could alleviate a system suffering from severe labor shortages, particularly on the North Shore.
APTS said the agreement is similar to one signed by CSN on July 15, but applies to professionals such as social workers, human relations officers and psychoeducators, rather than nurse practitioners. She expects their recruitment and deployment to begin in the fall of 2024.
Minister Christian Dube’s office said Thursday it would not make any comment at this time. So far, the Department of Health and Human Services has not responded to our questions.
Open in full screen mode
Minister Christian Dubé was in the North Shore last month for discussions with local stakeholders, including representatives from APTS.
Photo: Radio-Canada/Paul Fontaine
Lionel Carmant, the minister responsible for social services, welcomed the agreement, which he said would help end the use of independent workforces in the public sector.
Launch of the Twitter widget. Skip the gadget? Return to the beginning of the widget?
Severe labor shortages are affecting some health and social services agencies. In response to the crisis at the CISSS de la Côte-Nord, Christian Dubé announced the creation of a public flying team last May.
Social services will also face severe staffing shortages if the department prioritizes hiring beneficiary attendants and nurses first. This is especially the case for the North Carolina Democratic Party, where the waiting list for evaluation continues to grow.
Agreement accepted but criticized
Kevin Newbury, national representative for North Shore APTS, said: ‘We sense the government is rushing to get a deal but not necessarily making real progress on the demands we are raising.
In particular, APTS doubts that the conditions set out in the agreement with Quebec will inspire real enthusiasm for public flying teams. The union said the $100-a-day travel bonus was not enough to attract the necessary workforce.
Kevin Newbury predicts this may be a smaller flying fleet that won’t be able to solve the vast majority of problems we have on the North Shore.
Open in full screen mode
Kevin Newbury, national representative for North Shore APTS, said he did not understand the government’s negotiating strategy. (Archived photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada/Benoît Jobin
Still, union representatives acknowledged that any reinforcements to the flying squad would be helpful to existing staff, even if the numbers are small. North Shore residents must still get the services they deserve. He said it would definitely help once additional resources arrive.
Furthermore, the agreement does not cast a wide enough net for the unions. For example, several positions that are needed on the North Shore were not considered: we have demand in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, there are a lot of positions in our area that have attractiveness issues,” Mr Newberry explained.
We thought this plane would be built mid-flight, which was a sign of disaster.
Introduction by Kevin Newbury, North Shore APTS National Representative
According to APTS, new negotiations for the flying team are expected to take place in the autumn if the conditions contained in the agreement do not attract the required personnel.
1722693666
#Public #Flying #Corps #APTS #reaches #agreement #Quebec
