After the large march of Common Front workers that took place in Montreal on Saturday, members of the Interprofessional Health Union of Lanaudière (FIQ-SIL) decided to put pressure on the government by demonstrating on Sunday and Monday in front of the constituency office of Prime Minister François Legault, in L’Assomption.
Published yesterday at 3:23 p.m.
Mathieu Paquette The Canadian Press
They plan to spend all day Sunday in front of Mr. Legault’s constituency office to make their voices heard. The bravest will spend the whole night there in preparation for the march through the streets of the community that will take place on Monday morning.
For the president of FIQ-SIL, Marie-Chantal Bédard, this event, which will last 24 hours, is a reminder of the conditions in which nurses work every day.
It is important to tell the government and the people that you need medical professionals and that while you sleep, while you celebrate with your families, we are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a day. 7, and we want to continue to be there to provide for the population.
the president of FIQ-SIL, Marie-Chantal Bédard
The unions are promising a “warm autumn” for the coming weeks. According to FIQ, “the progress of the negotiations does not meet activists’ expectations.” For its part, the government insists that unions must show flexibility in their demands.
In Lanaudière, Ms Bédard fears an exodus of health workers if the next collective agreement does not provide for better working conditions. Lanaudière already ranks second-to-last among the province’s health regions in the number of direct-care nurses per 100,000 residents, according to the Order of Quebec Nurses’ 2021-2022 report on nurses.
“Our big fear here is that people will leave the health network because of the government’s current offers, because yes, there are salary offers, but there are also working conditions,” notes Ms. Bédard.
“In Lanaudière we already have problems attracting people, so we don’t want those we need to leave. »
Not just “guardian angels”
The term has been popular during the pandemic, but on Sunday and Monday workers who demonstrated outside Mr. Legault’s office wanted to move away from the term “guardian angel.” Rather, they demand recognition for what they are: “highly qualified” specialists.
“It seems as if the government is trying to tell the population that we are all guardian angels and that a healthcare professional is a healthcare professional no matter what we do. Listen, that’s not true. We are people who are highly specialized in what we do,” says Ms. Bédard.
This puts a damper on the government’s desire to increase worker mobility within the network.
“In the end, it doesn’t work that way,” says Ms. Bédard. We are highly specialized healthcare professionals. Each sector in which we operate has a specialty, regardless of the type of activity. »
The time of guardian angels is over. We want to offer the population good, safe and high-quality care.
the president of FIQ-SIL, Marie-Chantal Bédard
Tense negotiations
On Saturday, thousands of people marched through the streets of Montreal during the demonstration organized by the cross-union Public Sector Common Front, which includes CSQ, FTQ, APTS and CSN.
The FIQ is not part of this common front, but is negotiating in parallel with the government.
The context also appears to be tense, the latest update on the talks says: “Currently, the progress of the negotiations does not meet the expectations of activists who want the government to be more open to the needs of members and act accordingly.” with Consequently , to improve the working conditions of health professionals and recognize their contribution at its fair value. »
“It is the future of the healthcare network that is happening now,” adds Ms. Bédard.
On Saturday before the joint front march, the President of the Ministry of Finance, Sonia LeBel, said she was ready to continue the talks, but was of the opinion that “we absolutely need to organize the work in our schools and hospitals more efficiently.”
“What’s the key to getting there? Convince the unions to give us more flexibility in collective agreements. It is important that they contribute to this,” emphasized Ms. LeBel.