FIQ nurses’ union rejects Quebec’s offer

A year after tabling its initial offer, Quebec tabled a new wage offer to public sector unions on Wednesday, which was poorly received by the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé ( FIQ) and the inter-union common front.

On Wednesday evening, the FIQ announced that it had rejected the government’s latest offer at 99 per cent.

“The government is finally moving, and negotiations are progressing, but too slowly. However, this offer remains largely insufficient. It barely covers inflation,” deplored FIQ President Julie Bouchard in a press release.

Quebec’s offer included a 12.7 per cent pay rise for all public sector employees over five years.

“What’s more, the government continues to tell us that this offer is totally conditional on more ‘flexibility’ and ‘agility’ to send anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyhow. It simply won’t do,” she added.

The FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants and other care professionals, is therefore maintaining its other strike days from December 11 to 14.

Earlier on Wednesday, Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel unveiled the details of what the government is now putting on the table in the monetary plan for the 2023-2028 period. She indicated that the overall offer, including a $1,000 in the first year and differentiated offers for certain government priorities, rises to 16.7 per cent.

“Today, we’re adding more than a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money to the table. The current global offer represents more than $9 billion in recurring funding over time,” LeBel defended on the social network X.

The 420,000-member inter-union common front will take stock of negotiations and react to the recent proposal on Thursday morning in Quebec City.

Nevertheless, it voiced its dissatisfaction shortly after the employer’s offer was tabled on Wednesday.

“With current inflation forecasts of 18.1 per cent for this same period (2023-2028), this offer will still have the effect of impoverishing public sector workers,” reads a statement shared on the Facebook page of FTQ, a member of the common front.

“Without a clause guaranteeing the protection of purchasing power and an enrichment allowing wage catch-up, it will not be possible to reach an agreement,” it reads.

The common front has also specified that it will continue to hold its seven other strike days, from December 8 to 14. It has held four so far in November. However, it is pleased that the government has “withdrawn its attacks on the pension plan”, which is considered a “victory”.

The CSN, CSQ and APTS form a common front with the FTQ.

The wage offer concerns all unionized government employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 6, 2023.