MONTREAL — The measure to temporarily increase overtime pay from “time and a half” to double time is “clearly insufficient” in the eyes of the unions representing the workers concerned in the health sector.
For them, it’s “too little too late”, they proclaim in unison.
Quebec informed the unions on Wednesday that it was going to double overtime pay, rather than the usual rate of 150%.
The measure will come into effect this Friday and end on September 26.
At a press conference, Prime Minister François Legault explained the measure by the difficulties that the health network is currently experiencing, due to staff summer vacations, combined with cases of worker isolation due to COVID.
“We want to give an incentive” so that people are more inclined to work overtime, he justified.
Asked if it was not late to intervene, at the end of July, he maintained that no, “it is at the right time”.
Not negotiated
The eight trade union organizations also deplore the fact that this measure was once again decided unilaterally by the government rather than negotiated with representatives of health workers.
The unions had also deplored these unilateral decisions, when COVID bonuses had been implemented, at the beginning and at the height of the pandemic, rather than being discussed with the bargaining agents that they are.
Indeed, when the government ended COVID bonuses in mid-May, unions warned that the government would end up with fewer workers willing to work overtime.
“We advised the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, on May 9 that the situation on the ground was proving to be very precarious and that we had to agree on a plan to avoid service disruptions this summer. . We reached out to him. By refusing it and by not acting immediately, the government has allowed the situation to deteriorate to such an extent that the measure announced yesterday is clearly insufficient. Once again, he improvises instead of planning”, criticized the unions.
And Thursday at the beginning of the afternoon, the unions were still awaiting the written directive from the government specifying the parameters governing these overtime hours at double rates.
The unions reported having had different information depending on the manager they spoke to.
According to the information that the unions have obtained, it is indeed all the workers in the health establishments who will temporarily benefit from this double rate when they agree to work overtime.
The measure will concern nurses, nursing assistants, beneficiary attendants, paramedics, administrative officers, laboratory technicians and other healthcare employees who work in healthcare establishments, including Intermediate Resources (IR), Residences for the elderly (RPA), pre-hospital services, for example.
These eight labor organizations are the APTS (Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services), the FIQ (Interprofessional Health Federation), the Federation of CSN Professionals, the CSQ Health Federation , the Federation of Health and Social Services of the CSN, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, affiliated with the FTQ, the Union of Quebec Government Professionals (SPGQ) and the Quebec Union of Service Employees, affiliated with the FTQ.
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