An update on the negotiations
Like many of your colleagues, you are surely asking what has been happening in negotiations over the last few weeks. We all know that the latest news is not what we want to hear: talks are moving slowly, and although we would all like them to move more quickly in order to reach an agreement, we have to admit that the government, for its part, does not seem to be in a hurry to respond to the issues you face on a daily basis and to your needs.
Obviously, the signing of a tentative agreement by other unions has put pressure on us and may raise concerns among you and your colleagues. But we don’t want to compare ourselves to the others: successive governments have been stretching the limits of healthcare professionals for several years now, and we need to work on finding solutions to give our profession and the way we provide care a new meaning. Therefore, we need to keep the discussions going and continue to find ways of getting through to the government
In recent weeks, your Negotiating Committee faced a strategic choice: on the one hand, it could accept what the government was proposing and present it to the members; on the other, it had to expect that negotiations would be long, and take longer than hoped. Faced with these two options, it was clear to your Negotiating Committee that the right course of action was to continue negotiating!
Because based on what was on the table at that time and since then, it simply can’t be accepted, both for your personal life and your working conditions and for your patients’ care conditions. It therefore chose to continue working, fighting and bargaining to try and extract more gains. And that requires adjusting the strategy linked to the negotiations and mobilization.
We repeat: we want an agreement that will provide a concrete response to our three priorities: remuneration, work-life balance and workload. We don’t want to rush into signing an agreement. Know that your Negotiating Committee is still just as motivated as on the first day to obtain the best working conditions for you and your healthcare professional colleagues and will therefore continue to negotiate without bending on the fundamental issues.
In short, we understand your impatience, but it’s not over yet! We’re continuing to mobilize and we’re not giving up: we’re facing an ideological debate at the table, and your Negotiating Committee needs your support and solidarity!
And what about mobilization?
We continue to make our presence felt in the public arena, particularly with our welcome for the CAQ MNAs and putting up signs in front of the National Assembly. These actions were aimed at reminding the government and the population that we are still negotiating!
We are planning other visibility actions in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for communications from your local union team! And don’t forget to find out about the actions that will be held in your institution!
Lastly, reserve the date of March 16, 2024 in your agenda, as your Negotiating Committee will need you. The FIQ will be posting the details in the next few days! Stay tuned!