The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), the province’s largest union representing nurses, has called on its members to refuse to work overtime starting Sept. 19.

This action comes after the more than 500-day standoff between the FIQ and the province, as the FIQ has been without a contract since Mar. 31, 2023.

A new proposal was tabled on Aug. 29 in a meeting between the FIQ and Sonia LeBel, the president of the province’s treasury board.

According to the FIQ, which represents more than 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists in Quebec, the government’s proposal demands more “flexibility” from the nurses — in other words, the employer being able to move nurses and other staff members around to other departments or even other facilities as needs arise.

The FIQ called the proposal “a facade” and “a step backwards from the agreement already rejected in April of this year,” according to a statement put out on the union’s website.

A press release by the FIQ calls the proposed agreement a “pressure tactic” that will “only worsen an already intolerable situation.”

“This disrespectful follow-up marks a step backwards from the agreement already rejected in Apr. 2024,” Julie Bouchard, president of the FIQ said in a statement. “Faced with the government’s inertia and lack of seriousness, the FIQ is forced to increase its pressure tactics.”

According to the statement, the proposal “fails to recognize the expertise of healthcare professionals, nor does it prevent the employer from moving them wherever they see fit.”
In order to put pressure on the government to put forward a deal they’ll be happy with, the FIQ is asking members to refuse to work any overtime starting Sept. 19.

“The government is leaving us with no other option than to implement more drastic measures, such as completely stopping overtime,” Bouchard stated. “Healthcare professionals, who have been sounding the alarm for months, will not be silenced by empty promises and maneuvers disconnected from reality.”
The government recognizes the concerns about flexibility, including the potential for forced relocation. Despite the proposed changes, the FIQ insists the government is not meeting their demands.

LeBel and the treasury board released an open letter Sept. 3 to “set the record straight” about the proposed changes.

In the letter, LeBel wrote that “respect for the required training and the skills of nurses will always be a prerequisite,” and that “no travel will be imposed outside the position the person occupies.”
LeBel wrote that there are already provisions in order which make it possible to deploy personnel where needed and to minimize overtime. With the new changes, the treasury board is only attempting to make this principle standard across the province.

“The question is this: Is the FIQ ready to work on increased mobility of nurses in the network to benefit Quebecers? If that is the case, it’s at the negotiating table and through the work of experts that we’ll be able to achieve this,” reads the open letter by LeBel.

The union and the treasury board met again Sept. 4 in what the FIQ called an “intensive negotiation session.”

Following the FIQ’s call for members to refuse overtime, the Conseil pour la protection des malades (CPM) put forward a request to the Administrative Labour Tribunal regarding concerns about the negative impact this would have on patients.

The first session will happen between the parties on Sept. 11 and, if necessary, a formal hearing before the tribunal on Sept. 19. This means that the FIQ could be barred from refusing to work overtime on the basis that their means are illegal, at the expense of patients or in violation of the constitutional right to life and care.

Nicole Boucher-Larivière, CISSSO’s Pontiac director, said her organization is still unsure what exactly the impacts will be for local nurses at the Shawville hospital if the nurses do end up refusing overtime on Sept. 19.

“They’re still negotiating, they don’t have an agreement yet, so we need to address what the scheduling impact would be if they would stop doing overtime,” she said.
If the refusal does happen, she said they will likely have to increase the amount of hours worked by nurses from outside agencies.

THE EQUITY reached out to the FIQ for comment, but did not hear back before publication.