August 31, 2021

The FIQ and FIQP members voted in favour of the tentative agreement in a referendum vote held on August 4 and 5. The new three-year work contract was ratified after 18 months of negotiations as Quebec faced the biggest health crisis it has ever seen.

The FIQ and FIQP are now putting pressure on the government to get to work to rapidly implement the tentative agreement so that it takes full effect in the field.

”The pandemic accelerated the devastation in the health network. The scars run deep and it will take a long time to rebuild. The agreement won’t solve everything, but it’s a step in the right direction. The public health network remains very fragile all the same as there are no longer enough healthcare professionals to provide all the services. Without true recognition of the value of our members’ daily work, without additional tools like ratios to tackle the work overload, we will not be able to turn this ship around and bring back healthcare professionals to the network. That will be the next step and the government has the power to make it happen.”

Nancy Bédard, President, Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec-FIQ

“This agreement will trigger a change of course and culture, one that thousands of women who have been holding the health network together have been demanding. They have suffered through 20-years of budget cuts and excessive flexibility and mobility with no consideration for their personal and family lives. The reinvestments that the FIQ obtained for the health network are unprecedented. They must be maintained in the future if we want to curb the exodus of healthcare professionals and guarantee the safe care and services the Quebec population is entitled to.”

Roberto Bomba, Treasurer and Joint-Officer for provincial negotiations, Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ

“Healthcare professionals’ voices can no longer be ignored. These negotiations were focused on gaining greater recognition of the value of their profession and work overload. They made their voices heard through mobilization despite last year’s extremely difficult conditions. The government didn’t give up anything without a fight. Each element was painstakingly negotiated. Now, bureaucracy must follow suit so that we can quickly implement this agreement and get the most out of it. In the end, it is both our members and the population who will benefit from the advances in this agreement.”

Jérôme Rousseau, Vice-president and Joint-Officer for provincial negotiations, Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ

Highlights of the global agreement:

• Unprecedented reinvestment in working conditions for nurses, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists
• Global remuneration boosted by the 3.5% FIQ premium and financial enhancements included in the sectoral portion
• 1% salary increase in order to reach 7% for echelons 1-9, starting in 2022-2023, to attract young people and narrow the gap of the profession’s starting salary between Quebec and the rest of Canada
• Specialty nurse practitioners and specialty nurse practitioner candidates move from ranking 26 to ranking 28, i.e., the highest ranking for category 1 employees, retroactive to January 25, 2021
• Greater recognition for hours worked with the workweek increased to 37.5 hours, 40 hours for SNPs
• Voluntary upgrade to full-time for all part-time positions on 24/7 units for their shift and in their centre of activities to stabilize work teams
• Attraction-retention and diligence premium in addition to existing evening, night and weekend premiums
• Specific critical care premium extended to obstetrical healthcare professionals
• Incumbency of part-time employees with 14 shifts per 28 days to reduce job insecurity and stabilize work teams
• Creation of new positions with guaranteed funding:
  • More than 1,000 full-time equivalents (FTE) in CHSLDs and private subsidized institutions (EPCs)
  • Over 500 FTE added to 24/7 centres of activities, by priority in medicine-surgery
• Leverage to reduce the impacts of independent labour
• A first step toward safe ratios by introducing annual targets for care-hours per bed in CHSLDs and EPCs
• For the first time in years, the government is taking steps to attract and retain healthcare professionals in remote and northern regions:
  • Broadening of the attraction-retention premium for all healthcare professionals who work in the Far North and compensation for tax damage associated with 3^rd and 4^th trips out
  • Staffing of two nurses in northern clinics
• Budgets for discussing and taking action to address problems in remote locations

The collective agreement will be effective until March 31, 2023