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FIQ (Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec)

Negotiations: overview of the Special Federal Council on September 6 and 7, 2023

  • Provincial negotiations progress report
  • Mobilization update – preparing to strike

On Tuesdays we mobilize!

Starting in September, your Negotiating Committee will need you to proudly wear your demands in your institution. Every Tuesdays, wear your uniform top! 

If you haven’t already, hurry to see your local union team! Your representatives will give you yours.

Healthcare professionals’ right to strike: How does it work?

What does going on strike accomplish?

Striking is the only way we’ve been able to be heard.

It pressures the government to quickly reach a tentative agreement, so that the collective agreement can be renewed.

Striking is the ultimate pressure tactic to support work at the bargaining table during the final stretch.

Who decides whether we go on strike?

You and your coworkers, with a majority vote, decide on whether we go ahead with this pressure tactic. The strike mandate indicates the type of strike (general or rotating) and its duration, which can be unlimited. .

Do we have a right to strike?

YES!

In Quebec, all union members have the right to strike. Striking is a pressure tactic provided for in the
Labour Code.

Generally, though, strikes in the public service sector are limited by a law regulating essential services. This means we must maintain a certain level of care to
ensure the public’s health and safety.

For instance, services must be maintained at:

  • 70% for operating services
  • 80% in highly specialized centres
  • 85% in hospital care units
  • 90% in CHSLDs
  • 100% in emergency departments and intensive care

Members on strike can be impacted in different ways as a result, since the strike’s effects differ depending on the centre of activities.

Do we have the means to go on strike?

Of course, striking does result in some loss of wages, but what we gain from a strike is far more than what we lose.

In December 2022, FIQ unions adopted a solidarity pact to share the strike’s financial impact equally between the FIQ’s 80,000 members.

Funds are also set aside to cover expenses incurred in the event of a strike, in the Union Defence Fund and the striking budgets of affiliated unions.

What does a typical strike day look like?

You’ll arrive at work according to your usual schedule and you’ll be informed of the strike schedule, which is adjusted based on the percentage of essential services to be maintained in your centre of activities. The strike
schedule is created in a way that allows employees to take turns in the unit.

The union team is always on the ground to make sure the strike runs smoothly.

Participate in the general assemblies
and mobilization actions this fall

5 simple ways to follow your negotiations

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What are our demands?

Healthcare professionals’ expectations

What's happening in negotiations?

Negotiation progress and recent news

Who is negotiating?

The FIQ’s Negotiating Committee and the employer party

Show support for your negotiations