FIQ: Conciliator’s recommendation outlines nurses’ mobility

The conciliator’s proposal In which the 80,000 members of the FIQ are being asked to vote on further outlines nurses’ mobility.

But neither the government nor the nurses got everything they wanted in this compromise proposed by the conciliator on Sept. 15.

The issue of mobility was the major irritant that caused the tentative agreement to fail last April. The nurses saw the travel that could be imposed on them as a lack of recognition of their expertise, in addition to posing difficulties in terms of work-life balance.

The information meetings organized by the local unions of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) began on Sept. 18 and will continue until the actual vote, which will take place on Oct. 15, 16 and 17.

The FIQ unveiled a text to explain to its members the content of the conciliator’s recommendation. The FIQ will not comment on this at the moment.

Mobility

For example, in terms of the mobility of nurses and the recognition of their expertise, the FIQ’s explanatory text mentions that the employer “must take into account the health needs and care required by users.” According to the FIQ’s explanatory text, this means that the employer “will therefore not be able to combine incompatible types of care” when moving a nurse.

This was one of the nurses’ fears: being moved, for example, from a CHSLD to an intensive care unit.

The text also mentions that if an employer moves a nurse, it must “ensure that the employees’ skills are trained, oriented and maintained, where applicable.”

Similarly, the previous offer had discussed the possibility of being moved within a radius of 25 or 35 kilometres, depending on the region. In this context, the concepts of activity centre, merger of activity centres, establishments (CISSS and CIUSSS) and position posed problems for several nurses.

On this issue, the conciliator proposes a complex formula to define the concept of activity centre and position, in an attempt to allay nurses’ concerns by submitting a range of mileages that vary depending on the region and context.

Other gains

The conciliator’s proposal also includes an opening so that overtime can be calculated at double time on weekends, in certain contexts.

Similarly, the calculation of certain premiums for part-time employees would be improved compared to the agreement in principle last spring. In this spring agreement, evening and night premiums could decrease for them in certain contexts.

The parties had then agreed to create a committee to resolve this issue.

The FIQ’s explanatory text emphasizes that the conciliator’s proposal has the effect of maintaining their current premium level.

These gains are in addition to those that had already been negotiated by the parties.

“A whole”

It remains to be seen whether FIQ members will consider these advances sufficient. The agreement in principle was rejected by 61 per cent of members last April, even though the FIQ recommended its acceptance.

In a video intended for members, Nathalie Levesque, co-head of negotiations at the FIQ, emphasizes that the conciliator “made the decision to submit a recommendation that he considers to be a balanced proposal for both parties.”

“What is important to remember is that the recommendation is a whole,” added the other co-head of negotiations, Jérôme Rousseau, in the same video.

The collective agreement expired more than 500 days ago. FIQ members walked out for several days in Nov. and Dec. 2023.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews