labour unions

Firefighters’ union rejects proposed collective agreement

Ruby Pratka

editor@qctonline.com

Representatives of Quebec City’s firefighters’ union and city officials will return to the negotiating table after 75.6 per cent of union members rejected a proposed collective agreement on Oct. 22.

“This result is not a surprise for our organization, which had taken stock of the concerns and expectations expressed by its members throughout the negotiation process,” union representatives said in a statement. “During the consultations, it became clear that several major issues, both in terms of working conditions and salary and regulatory aspects, had not found satisfactory answers. Our members expressed their desire to see significant changes, and this refusal reflects their determination to obtain conditions that meet their expectations and needs.”

“We fully respect the decision of our members, which demonstrates the importance of the unresolved issues in this agreement,” said Alexandre Arturi, president of the Association des pompiers professionnels du Québec (APPQ), which represents about 500 firefighters, fire prevention specialists, dispatchers, in- structors and communications staff serving in the Service de protection contre l’incendie de Québec (SPCIQ; Quebec City fire department). “This vote sends a clear message: we must return to the negotiating table with the objective of obtaining concrete and lasting changes for all of our members.”

The APPQ “remains determined to continue discussions with the relevant bodies, with the same rigour and determination, in order to reach an agreement that meets the legitimate expectations of its members,” the statement said. “We hope this vote will be an opportunity for all parties to engage in a constructive and solution-oriented dialogue that reflects the realities on the ground. We would like to highlight the commitment and mobilization of our members throughout this process and assure them that their voices will continue to be heard in the coming proceedings.”

Under the Quebec labour code, it is illegal for municipal fire or police departments to strike; it’s also illegal for municipalities to lock out police or fire departments during labour disputes. The QCT was not able to obtain clear answers on what pressure tactics are available to firefighters in the event of a labour disagreement.

“In this context, [the Ville de Québec] will have to initiate the mediation process provided for by the law, despite the fact that the monetary and working conditions offered were, in our opinion, more than interesting,” city spokesperson François Moisan said in a brief statement.

Neither city officials nor APPQ representatives commented further, citing the ongoing negotiations.

Nurses, government accept new collective agreement

Local Journalism Initiative / The Quebec Chronicle Telegraph / October 22, 2024 / FIQ, Hospitals, labour unions, Ruby Pratka

Nurses, government accept new collective agreement

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The Fédération inter- professionnelle de la santé de Québec (FIQ) has accepted a collective agreement proposed by a mediator, bringing an end to more than two years of negotiations with the provincial government.

Members of the FIQ, the province’s largest nurses’ union, voted in an online poll held Oct. 15-17 and briefly paused due to technical difficulties. About two-thirds – 66.3 per cent – of voting members chose to accept the agreement. Voter turnout was estimated at 75 per cent. The FIQ rep- resents about 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and IV technicians in public-sector health facilities across the province.

The vote came six months after members rejected an initial proposed collective agreement by a similar margin. One of the major sticking points in the negotiations, union representatives said, was staff mobility – the idea that a nurse could be assigned, on short notice, to fill in at a facility far from her home or in a capacity that didn’t correspond with her experience (for example, an ER nurse being given a shift at a CHSLD).

“We’re not in celebration mode right now, we’re in ‘we got to the end of it’ mode,” FIQ vice-president Jérémie Rousseau told the QCT. “Two years is a very long time. There’s a huge difference of visions between the government and the health professionals [which creates] an issue with retention. I hope the government will take time to see what is going on on the ground.”

Rousseau noted that the union made some “important gains” in terms of holiday and overtime pay, and secured a 17.4 per cent pay raise over the next five years, identical to the raise public sector workers in the Front Commun union bloc received in their most recent collective agreement.

Nurses secured some concessions from the government around mobility – under nor- mal circumstances, a nurse can only be asked to fill in at a second facility if it’s less than 40 kilometres away from her primary facility and if she will be asked to provide the same kind of care. However, members also agreed to be part of voluntary “flying teams” sent as an occasional stopgap to understaffed facilities in remote regions.

“In addition to helping improve working conditions and providing increased flexibility, the agreement will enable government objectives to be achieved while improving the services offered in the public network,” Treasury Board president Sonia Lebel, Health Minister Christian Dubé, min- ister responsible for social services Lionel Carmant and minister for seniors’ affairs and associate health minister Sonia Bélanger said in a brief joint statement on Oct. 18.

The agreement will be in force until March 31, 2028.

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