Interview with Jeff Begley, President, Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN)
Health care workers protest ministerial orders,
Victoriaville, July 9, 2020.
Workers' Forum: The ministerial
order issued on July 4 by the new Minister of
Health and Social Services once again allows for
the cancellation of workers' collective
agreements in order to unilaterally change
working conditions, this time with regard to the
supervision of new orderlies. What is the
position of the Federation of Health and Social
Services on this issue?
Jeff Begley: It is very
disappointing. Once again, the government does
exactly as it pleases. There is nothing in this
order that will eliminate the overburdening of
the people who will have to supervise the new
orderlies. There are 10,000 people who, so far,
have had three weeks of training, or 120 hours.
At the moment, the trainees are doing half
internship, half training at school, until
September 15. Normally, when an orderly arrives
at work, he has had 870 hours of training. What
we are being told about the training that is
being given right now is that it is very much
focused on COVID, which is fine. However, there
are indications that in some places, for
example, there is no training on how to move
patients in a safe way. For orderlies,
especially those in CHSLDs [residential and
long-term care centres] where many patients are
not mobile, this is a real problem. It is a
major problem because moving patients is at the
heart of the work they have to do.
The order was published yesterday, Sunday, July
5. On Saturday, the FSSS-CSN was at the table
with the Ministry of Health, at our request,
regarding orderlies. We told them that there
were concerns about overload because the
existing orderlies have their usual duties and,
in addition, they will have to train and
supervise newcomers. The Ministry told us that
it is the teachers who are responsible for
supervision. But these teachers will not be
there! The Ministry added that what they expect
of experienced staff is not that they coach or
teach the newcomers, but that they "observe" the
newcomers. Imagine a new attendant who has not
learned how to move patients safely and an old
attendant saying, "Go ahead, try it and I'll
just observe you." This is a danger to both the
patient's safety and the new employee's safety
because he has not mastered the technique. So of
course, the experienced colleague will have to
help him to do these essential tasks correctly!
It is therefore nonsense that, in addition to
their usual duties, orderlies will have to
supervise new employees for $5 a day, regardless
of the number of trainees they are responsible
for.
WF: What is the way of receiving
these new employees safely and professionally?
JB: The
experienced orderly or health care worker would
have to be relieved of part of their duties so
that they could guide and supervise the new
employees. Even after taking a course, the first
few times a person does something, like moving
someone, they need assistance to do it properly.
This is why we are concerned about the overload
of work on existing employees, who are in a
great state of fatigue and whose vacations have
been reduced, in some cases by half.
The other thing we are concerned about in the
new order is that it says that it is the
employer who chooses the people who will be
responsible for observing one or more new
employees. We are saying that it should be
volunteers, and based on seniority first. They
have to be volunteers -- not people to whom the
employer is going to say: 'you're good, I want
you to do this.' I would hope that there are
employers who will choose to take volunteers,
but the ministerial order does not require it.
I reiterate that there is no problem with this
type of training, but only if the experienced
orderly, the licensed practical nurse, or the
nurse is relieved of part of his or her duties
to ensure that the newcomers are properly
trained, and especially to help them put into
practice what they have learned and the actions
they must perform. It's perfectly normal not to
have everything under control when you arrive at
your workplace. It is with the help of
experienced workers that they gain confidence.
When the government made the first announcement
[of accelerated training to attract new
orderlies -- WF Ed. Note], we told the
government: "We are getting on board. If you
want to sit down with us, we'll work together to
make sure it goes well by looking at the
conditions necessary for things to be done
well." A month later, there is still no
exchange. The Ministry imposes. It only informs
us of the decisions it has taken.
WF: It's striking how unions and
negotiated settlements are being targeted with
ministerial orders and Bill 61 on restarting of
the economy.
JB: Yes, in the name of the
health emergency, the government has given
itself the right to impose. We understand that
in extreme situations, a government can give
itself this type of right so as not to find
itself in a situation where services are
disrupted. But this is not being used sparingly.
The measures it imposes are very broad and
affect the vast majority of workers.
What is obvious is that the government's target
is the unions. And that allows it to say: "I
have done everything right without unions, they
are not necessary." The new Minister of Health,
Christian Dubé, told us just recently that he
considers the unions to be important partners,
and that he wants to work with us. So we said
that was perfect, that we were ready, and that
there were two urgent things: the arrival of a
massive number of new orderlies and health and
safety in the event of a second wave of
COVID-19. But no action was taken on what the
Minister told us.
This is a power grab by the government. It
expresses a refusal to talk to the unions.
And this is happening at a time when we are
very concerned about a second wave of COVID-19
that could happen soon.
Again, there is no discussion with the
government. People's lives are at risk. And even
if someone does not die, we have the example of
workers who have been infected with COVID who
continue to have significant after-effects a
month, a month and a half later. We have more
than one testimony on that. They are still not
back to their optimal health.
It is my interpretation that the pandemic and
the economy are being used as an excuse to
attack the unions. The members are exasperated
by all these orders that impose working
conditions on them.
That has to change.
 
Health care workers protest at assisted living
facility in Drummondville, July 6, 2020.
This article was published in
Number 49 - July 16, 2020
Article Link:
Interview with Jeff Begley, President, Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN)
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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