The Quebec Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (AQOA) is not in favor of the agreement in principle that the Common Front has reached with the Quebec government.
In a press release issued on Friday, the AQOA denounced in particular the 17.4% salary increase and would have liked an increase similar to that of the teachers “to compensate for the accumulated delay”.
The gap in the working conditions of specialists and the reimbursement of membership fees in the Order of Speech Pathologists and Audiologists of Quebec is also deplored by the association, whose mission is to promote the professions it represents.
“We are disappointed that we have been neglected in these negotiations so far,” says the President of the AQOA Board of Directors, Marie-Philippe Rodrigue. Our professions are essential and we deserve appropriate recognition for our contribution to the education and healthcare systems.”
The association assumes that the migration of personnel to the private sector is due in particular to a “lack of upgrading in the public sector”.
She also believes psychologists will be given priority for similar requests that would be rejected for speech therapists and audiologists because of their numbers.
“This raises questions about fairness in the treatment of various professions within the Common Front,” the statement said.
With regard to the membership fees of the professional code, which are only reimbursed to full-time members, the AQOA considers it “unjustified not to recognize the work of part-time speech therapists and audiologists, while the annual fees are fixed and mandatory for the practice of the profession.”
Speech therapists and audiologists will soon have to make a fundamental decision on this agreement.
They are represented in particular by the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS), by the Federation of Education Professionals (FPPE-CSQ) and by the Federation of Professionals (FP-CSN).