CHUM union and allies condemn job cuts

Around the same time the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government announced a hiring freeze in the public sector, 26 patient attendant positions and seven administrative assistant positions were eliminated at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM).

Certain services were exempt from the government’s policy, which aims to curb the growth of public sector employment, including those in healthcare institutions.

The CHUM employees’ union (SECHUM-CSN) confirmed on Monday morning that the job cuts “were imposed as part of the government’s fiscal austerity measures.” The union is joining forces with the Fédération de la Santé et des Services sociaux (FSSS-CSN), the Central Council of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM-CSN), and Québec Solidaire’s health spokesperson, Vincent Marissal, in demanding that the eliminated positions be reinstated at the hospital.

They are also calling on the CAQ government to stop reducing spending on healthcare and social services.

Anick Mailhot, president of the CHUM employees’ union, condemned in a statement that the cuts are leading to increased workloads for the remaining staff.

“The ratio of attendants has gone from 4 to 3 across all care units, including the emergency room. We have already seen an increase in incidents and accidents,” she said.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews