By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The four main unions representing more than 15,500 employees at the West Island CIUSSS are speaking out as a second round of staffing and service reduction cuts rolls out this spring. The latest cost-saving measures, which follow initial cuts stemming from a budget recovery plan announced last November, are affecting everything from job postings and overtime to basic support services.

In this latest wave, the CIUSSS is moving ahead with abolishing positions, freezing external hiring, cancelling some workload assignments and replacements, and even closing several kitchens within the health network. Housekeeping services have also been scaled back, and unions say this is already having an impact on conditions in care environments and operating rooms.

The Association of Professionals and Technicians in Health and Social Services (APTS) reports that more than 90 specialized positions in both health care and social services have been cut. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) points to longer surgical wait lists and reduced hygiene care as direct results of these staffing shortages. Both unions are hearing increased complaints from staff and patients about the effects of these changes.

Nursing and respiratory therapy teams represented by the Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de santé de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (SPSSODIM) are also feeling the impact. The union warns that the current pace of reductions risks repeating the pandemic-era cycle of excessive workloads, burnout, and leave for disability, which in turn fuels more staff shortages.

Administrative departments are under pressure as well. The local SQEES-FTQ union, representing nearly 2,000 office and support staff, says that with summer vacation approaching and no overtime replacements available, some departments could face temporary closures. The union is recommending a review of scheduling and the use of temporary workload assignments to keep services running and avoid gaps during peak vacation periods.

Management at the West Island CIUSSS has not issued a detailed public response to the most recent union statements. The agency is working to address an $80 million budget shortfall, or about six percent of its annual budget, as part of a wider provincial drive to control health network costs. Since last fall, over a thousand positions have been eliminated across Quebec; the local effects in the West Island are now being felt.

Unions say they have made proposals for alternative cost-saving measures but have not seen those options seriously considered. For now, the future of local health and social services remains uncertain as staff shortages and service reductions continue to unfold. Many in the West Island community are left wondering how these changes will affect their access to care and the quality of the services they rely on. n