(Montreal) The Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ) will present an adjusted list of demands on Monday as part of negotiations with Quebec to renew its members’ collective agreements.
Posted at 12:32 p.m.
The FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists, made the announcement in a press release on Sunday.
Jérôme Rousseau, vice-president of the FIQ and co-leader of the negotiations, indicated to The Canadian Press early last week that the union already intends to review its demands and reduce the number before Treasury President Sonia LeBel calls on the unions in the public and semi-public sectors.
Ms. LeBel committed in late September to reducing her demands to five and called on unions to do the same.
“Basically, very little will change for us. Our adjusted requests demonstrate our goodwill, but we are still a long way from reaching an agreement. The government is offering us a salary increase of 9% over five years. Furthermore, he wants to deprive healthcare professionals of any form of stability and treat them like interchangeable chess pieces. We will never accept this,” Mr. Rousseau said in a news release on Sunday.
FIQ’s demands are always about a better salary, an improvement in the workload and a better work-life balance, the union specifies in the same document.
FIQ union representatives will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday to review the revised list of demands and discuss the upcoming strike vote.
The union said Sunday it would not grant an interview before that meeting.
With information from Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press