(Montreal) With its offer of 9% growth over five years, the government of Quebec is “beat” the nurses who have given their all for years, the FIQ regrets.
Posted 12:04pm Updated 2:25pm
Lia Levesque The Canadian Press
In an interview on Friday, Françoise Ramel, vice president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé (FIQ), reported that its members, nurses, nursing assistants and other health professionals, were downright “offended” by the government offers presented to all state employees on Thursday.
Quebec offers increases of 3% in the first year, then 1.5% for each of the following four years, for a total of 9%.
But it also offers a lump sum of $1000 for the first year. It is also planned to allocate an amount of 2.5% to “government priorities”. It is not yet known how and for which job titles the sum will be used for these focal points.
Adding the percentage increases, the lump sum and the state priority amount, Quebec comes up with an offer of 13%.
However, the glaring reality in the health network is not taken into account for the FIQ.
“To dare to offer 9% over five years is really shameful on their part. It’s really a slap in the face, even more so for the health professionals who have been giving their all for years, and it’s really a slap in the face for the network,” said Ms. Ramel.
With regard to the salary, the FIQ calls for a permanent salary adjustment in the collective agreement and an increase in each tariff and each salary level by 4% for each of the three contract years.
She also calls for a 6% pay increase on each pay grade and scale.
The FIQ does not know what the equivalent of 2.5% means for “government priorities”. “It’s the mystery of the moment,” concludes the vice president’s sociopolitical and status.
TSO and ratios
And it’s not just salaries. The FIQ remained dissatisfied with crucial questions for its members, such as the famous TSO (mandatory overtime), the care key and the use of private employment agencies.
“We are waiting for a law on the quotas,” emphasizes the Vice President of the FIQ. And the TSO “exhausts all employees” leaving the public grid. We must therefore improve all the working conditions of nurses in the public network, she explains.
While Quebec has proposed discussion forums in its bid to address certain issues thoroughly, Ms. Ramel is under no illusions.
“The discussion forums, there were a lot of them that never happened and weren’t successful. And these are endless discussions. We have the solutions,” she says.