2024-01-22 19:48:49
(Montreal) The FIQ is holding a meeting with its members on Monday evening to inform them of the progress of negotiations with the Quebec government, even though they have been going on for more than a year.
Published at 2:48 p.m. Updated at 3:56 p.m.
Lia Lévesque The Canadian Press
The Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ) is one of three union organizations representing state employees who have still not reached an agreement in principle for the renewal of their collective agreement, with those of civil servants and professionals.
It is in the form of a live broadcast on Facebook that the large organization of 80,000 nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists will take stock with its members.
Last week, an intermediate body of the FIQ, made up of delegates, unanimously decided that negotiations should still continue, since the proposals at the negotiating table seemed insufficient.
The FIQ and Quebec had agreed to refrain from public declarations until January 15, at the request of the conciliator, in order to concentrate on the negotiations.
In an interview at the end of this public eclipse, the president of the FIQ, Julie Bouchard, revealed that the arrival of a conciliator on the file had made progress, but not enough for an agreement in principle to be reached. within reach.
“We want to take all the time it takes” to reach an agreement in principle, she said, without giving a timetable or ultimatum for the outcome of these negotiations in conciliation. There was no question of holding other days of strike at that time.
Negotiations are therefore continuing with Quebec.
Challenges
For the FIQ, the flexibility required of nurses is at the heart of this negotiation with the government. Quebec wants to be able to change nurses in care units, health establishments or shifts, to meet the needs of the establishments.
Nurses believe this amounts to treating them as interchangeable pawns, without taking into account their expertise and experience.
Ms. Bouchard explained that a provision to this effect already exists, in local collective agreements, if a nurse volunteers to be transferred. It is once morest the imposition of such transfers that the FIQ is speaking out.
The FIQ also wants the adoption of safe nurse/patient ratios, in order to lighten the workload of nurses. Quebec replies that it cannot lower the ratios, because that would require hiring nurses who do not exist.
The terms of recognition of the seniority of nurses from private agencies who would return to the public network, which Quebec wishes to see relaxed, also remain unresolved.
The FIQ represents more than 90% of nurses in Quebec.
Another union organization representing nurses, the Health Federation, affiliated with the CSQ, also considers the sectoral employer offers insufficient. Last week, the FSQ announced that it would not submit sectoral offers to its members – those that deal with working conditions, and not salaries.
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