The fight goes on
Last week was a decisive moment for the FIQ. 60,000 of you voted in a referendum vote and the majority of you said NO to the tentative agreement proposed to you. Nurses, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists have always had to fight for recognition, respect and proper working conditions, and it has to be said that we still have to do it today. The turnout for the vote shows us your combativeness and motivation to break with years of devaluing the expertise of healthcare professionals
Your message is clear: it’s not enough. It’s not enough because you have all too often experienced abuse by your employers, particularly through ministerial orders during the pandemic. It’s not enough, because there is too much uncertainty in what is going to happen once Santé Québec is implemented, yet another reform that ignores the realities of nurses, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists. It’s not enough, because the healthcare professionals have carried the healthcare system on their backs for too long.
The government has an enormous amount of work to do to rebuild the healthcare professionals’ trust, because our experience has shown us that they are far from being an employer of choice. They are trying to get the public to believe that the FIQ is exaggerating, that they are only asking for a little flexibility from the healthcare professionals, but what you did last week was to show them a clear limit.
We will now discuss with your union delegates and reflect on what’s next but note that we are more motivated than ever to negotiate a collective agreement and better working conditions for our members. Thank you for making your voice heard, you were right to mobilize like that! I am truly proud and privileged to speak for you and your demands. In the next few weeks, we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves and make ourselves heard by this government, which doesn’t want to listen to us. It won’t be easy, it will involve difficult discussions and concrete actions, but I am convinced that, together, we will succeed!