School network psychologists are outraged over private sector hiring

The Federal Government of Quebec Education Professionals (FPPE-CSQ) learned on Thursday that the Legalt government had decided to double the salaries of its psychologists to their colleagues in the private sector. Health crisis.

Also read: Mental Health: Quebec pulls out a checkbook to hire psychologists in the private sector

“I am by my side! This is the ultimate insult to the psychologists who put us in pain and misery in our schools. As we wait for the Minister of Education to give his negotiators a mandate to give us serious offers, he claps us in the face,” FPPE President Jacques Laundry said in a press release. Rebelled by. -CSQ.

The federation has noted the lack of recruitment of psychologists in schools in the province and the significant decline in their working conditions in recent years.

“Federal notes of frustration, once again, the government has decided to close its eyes to the legitimate demands of experts and for the well-being and success of students by the same token”, we can read specifically in the press release.

Prior to the outbreak, nearly 41% of psychologists were already considering leaving the public network because they could not identify their work and salary conditions, according to data collected in February 2020.

And this number has increased since then, but each psychologist sometimes has eight schools up to his responsibility, preventing himself from following students directly, even developing the federation.

Psychologists in the private sector will be able to maintain their professional autonomy, a right that will not be recognized by their colleagues in the public school network, FPPE-CSQ said.

“When professionals like psychologists are in the students’ living environment, they are the front line resources, they can act without delay and can provide exceptional and crucial help!” Mr. Laundry concluded.

The QMI agency learned on Wednesday that Quebec had set aside $ 25 million last November to urgently hire private sector psychologists to reduce waiting lists for the public.