Quebec tables new offer to FIQ nurses union

Quebec tabled a new offer to the FIQ nurses union on Thursday, in the hope of breaking an impasse that’s persisted over the renewal of their collective agreement.

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé has been without a contract for more than 500 days.

“In the proposals we tabled earlier today, we suggest a different path to achieve our goal of flexibility that would allow us to better care for Quebecers,” said the office of Sonia LeBel, President of the province’s Treasury Board.

Lebel adds that the government is reaching out to the FIQ “to conclude an agreement that respects both the needs of the population and the demands of FIQ nurses.”

On social media, the union wrote that they have been waiting for a follow-up from the government since July. “We confirm that a response was made today. We are currently analyzing the content.”

“I have always said that achieving objectives is more important than the means used to do so. This offer takes into account the concerns expressed by FIQ members. It’s now up to the FIQ to take steps to join us,” explained LeBel.

The issue of nurses’ mobility is at the heart of the dispute.

Managers of healthcare establishments want to be able to move nurses from one care unit to another, or even from one establishment to another, to meet needs wherever they arise. Nurses see this as a way of denying their expertise and treating them as interchangeable pawns. They also see it as a problem for quality of care and patient follow-up.

The union says they have poor working conditions including mandatory overtime, inadequate equipment and denied or displaced leave.

The FIQ had reached an agreement in principle with Quebec to renew its collective agreement earlier this year, but it was rejected by its members in April – with 61 per cent voting against it.

The collective agreement of the FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists, expired on March 31, 2023. The FIQ represents over 90 per cent of nurses throughout Quebec.

On Wednesday morning, FIQ members took over overpasses atop the Decarie Expressway amid rush hour to have their voices heard and get the public to take notice.

The union has undergone several strike mandates, including walkouts in November and December of 2023, but negotiations remain at an impasse.

Quebec is also counting on an agreement with the FIQ to facilitate the creation of “flying teams” to come and relieve regions with a nursing shortage that is even more severe than elsewhere, such as the Côte-Nord.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews