To avoid an exodus of new nurses to Ontario and New Brunswick, the Legault government must reverse its decision and offer college graduates a better salary on recruitment, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Quebec (FIQ) believes.
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Quebec now bans hospitals from providing financial benefits to prospective registered nurses who start their careers at the bottom end of the pay scale like the others.
The government ended a practice that had existed for several years in several health institutions, allowing college graduates to start at the 7th level to reflect their academic background.
“There are no bad ideas or solutions when it comes to attracting and retaining employees!” argues President Julie Bouchard. She can’t explain why Ministers Sonia LeBel and Christian Dubé decided to “blow everyone down” while Quebec grapples with a serious shortage of nurses.
According to the trade unionist, the government should have extended this “well-functioning” practice to the entire health network.
- Listen to the interview with Julie Bouchard on the show by Philippe-Vincent Foisy, broadcast live daily on QUB radio:
The song of the mermaids
Meanwhile, Ontario and New Brunswick offer much better salaries for Quebec graduates, Julie Bouchard points out.
“If you’re making about $5-$6 more an hour right at the start, that’s quite interesting and can make the person decide to go to another province to practice to get paid better .”
McGill University’s Association of Graduate Students in Nursing Sciences has also been loud and clear in denouncing Quebec’s position and pointing to a possible exodus of new graduates.
union application
In the Health Minister’s office it is understood that it is the government’s duty to respect collective agreements and fairness between employees.
The FIQ replies that a better starting salary for all nurses with a bachelor’s degree is precisely one of the sixty union demands as part of the collective agreement negotiations that are beginning in the country.
“There are health professionals, clinical nurses, who are really angry about this measure,” emphasizes the President, who wants to defend this position in the talks with Quebec by all means.
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