Quebec Public Sector Negotiations
Government Negotiators Reject Workers' Proposals to Deal with Second Wave of Pandemic
November
9, 2020. Health and social services workers
occupy Montreal Treasury Board office to demand action on their
contract demands.
In a press conference on November 2, the Federation of Health
and Social Services (FSSS-CSN) denounced the government for continuing
to reject workers' demands in contract negotiations, most importantly
those concerned with effectively dealing with the second wave of
COVID-19. Collective agreements of approximately 550,000 public
sector workers in Quebec expired on March 31, 2020. Negotiations began
about a year ago but no new collective agreement has yet been signed,
and, according to the unions, no agreement is in sight and will not be
until the government begins to negotiate seriously to meet the workers'
pressing demands.  According to the most recent data
from the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Quebec
National Institute of Public Health, close to 17,000 health care
workers have contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
More than 400 have been hospitalized and 13 workers lost their lives.
The press release issued by the FSSS-CSN at the press
conference states: "Last Thursday [October 29], at
the negotiation table, on the sole subject of measures to be taken
within the framework of COVID-19, the representatives of the Ministry
of Health and Social Services clearly indicated that the Ministry had
no interest in working with us to put in place measures aimed at
substantially improving prevention
during a pandemic period or setting up any form of recognition to keep
employees on the front line motivated." On the same
day, Minister of Health and Social Services Christian
Dubé publicly indicated his intention to work with the
unions to strengthen measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The opposite is happening at the bargaining table, according
to the Federation. Measures to Deal with Crisis
in Health and Social Services Network
The
Federation's press release outlines the proposals made to government. The measures proposed aim to reduce the risk
of infection, ensure the protection of users and staff and better
recognize their essential contribution during the pandemic. They
include: - Provide all personnel with the
appropriate and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) by
ensuring a sufficient supply of equipment at all times, in particular
by making the N95 mask available. - Provide
uniforms and maintain them. - Provide eating and
rest areas that allow physical distancing measures to be respected at
all times. - Prohibit the movement of personnel
across multiple sites, facilities, services or units. -
Prohibit the use of employment agency personnel. -
Provide access to an expedited testing process for staff and their
immediate family members. - Place all at-risk staff
in paid isolation or telework. - Establish joint
local and national inter-union health crisis committees to force
employers and government to pass on information and listen to problems
on the ground. - Provide additional psychological
support. - Agree on guidelines for teleworking.
- Suspend parking fees. - Make COVID
premiums more widely available. Government
Representatives Reject Workers' Proposals FSSS-CSN Vice-President Josée Marcotte said that
government representatives rejected all of the Federation's proposals.
She reported that they are proposing the same measures that the
government put in place before the first wave of the pandemic, which
turned out to be a disaster.  For example, on the
issue of personal protective equipment, they only propose that institutions "make efforts to
comply with the recommendations of the National Institute of Public
Health."
On the issue of providing and maintaining
uniforms for staff, they propose to provide uniforms in certain areas
only and only according to what they call "institutional feasibility."
This is a lower prevention standard than what is found at McDonald's
and Tim Hortons, according to Marcotte. The government is not even
prepared to take the
measures necessary to prevent the circulation of contaminated clothing
and is willing to leave that to the discretion of the establishments.
"No wonder the virus is spreading throughout the health and social
services network and the population," she added. Instead
of committing to providing staff with eating areas that allow them to
comply with health measures such as physical distancing, by ordering
institutions to provide them, government officials propose to "remind"
institutions that these safe areas are part of the health measures in
place. At the table, government officials even accused staff
of not complying with health regulations and stated that it is the
workers' fault if there is contamination. Government
officials are refusing to prohibit the movement of staff between
facilities or departments to stop the spread of COVID-19, which is also
part of the government's official action plan for the second wave. As a
result, employers continue to relocate staff and post positions with
multiple sites or departments. Marcotte went on to
say: "The government must not skimp on the measures that need to be
taken. The health and safety of the workers and of the people is not a
bargaining issue, it's a matter of life and death. [...] What health
care workers need at this time is not contempt from the government but
recognition and most importantly
maximum protection so that our guardian angels do not become angels,
period. What we want is to do the maximum to protect the workers and the
population." At the conclusion of the press
conference, FSSS-CSN President Jeff Begley said that he has taken note
of the proposal of the Minister of Health to sit down with the unions
to improve prevention against COVID-19, but that for this to happen
there must be a real dialogue and measures taken by the ministry to
protect the staff. He emphasized
the need for serious discussions because the situation is urgent, and
there is a need to make up for lost time. 
November 9, 2020. Treasury Board office in Montreal.
This article was published in
Number 76 - November 10, 2020
Article Link:
Quebec Public Sector Negotiations: Government Negotiators Reject Workers' Proposals to Deal with Second Wave of Pandemic
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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