Santé Québec gives employees with dual jobs one year to transition

Quebec is putting off resolving the problem of dual employment in the healthcare network, after coming under heavy criticism for raising the possibility of forcing some employees to choose between two jobs in order to comply with labour standards.

Just under 1 per cent of the network’s 330,000 employees, or 3,034 people, currently hold two jobs in different healthcare establishments, and just over a third of them, or 1,307 employees, work more than 40 hours a week.

Until now, these people were considered to have two employers, i.e. each of the two establishments for which they worked, and could therefore accumulate as many hours as they wished, provided they did not exceed 40 hours in each establishment.

However, with the launch of Santé Québec on Dec. 1, these 1,307 workers will be considered to be employed by a single employer, in this case the new Santé Québec agency created by the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé. However, the Act respecting labour standards prohibits working more than 40 hours a week in an establishment.

On Tuesday, the Minister had promised to ensure “the best possible transition” for these 1,307 employees, but had nevertheless specified that they would have to choose between the two positions by Dec. 1.

On Wednesday, Santé Québec announced in a press release that these employees would instead benefit from a one-year transition period, until Dec. 1, 2025, and will therefore be able to maintain their two jobs beyond Dec. 1 of this year.

Santé Québec President and CEO Geneviève Biron states in the release that she is committed to “avoiding wall-to-wall approaches” and says she has “heard the cry from the heart of many employees in dual employment situations”.

Santé Québec expresses its gratitude to these employees and promises to “take the time to support them.”

The new agency recognizes the contribution of such employees, “in a context of labour shortage and high demand for services,” and believes that keeping them employed will enable them to continue to serve users and reduce pressure on staff. “Santé Québec will work with union partners to find accommodations,” it promises.

Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), a major public sector union, said it was ready to work with the agency to find solutions.

“Given the state of our public network, we can’t deprive ourselves of people ready to offer care and services to the population,” said Robert Comeau, president of APTS, in an e-mail.

“We are pleased that Santé Québec has listened to reason and extended the transition period for those holding more than one job. We are ready to work with the agency to find solutions that will promote accessibility and quality of services,” he added.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews