FIQ Complaint to Administrative Labor Tribunal | Where did the billion come from after negotiations with Quebec?

A few weeks after the federation signed in principle the renewal of its collective agreement with Interprofessional de la Santo in the summer of 2021, Quebec announced that it was ready to allocate $ 1 billion for various activities to bring in full-time nurses. In the network, including bonuses.

However, FIQ spent just the previous year negotiating bonuses and other measures to stabilize care teams, create more full-time positions and reduce compulsory overtime. And she was told that the treasury was empty and that Quebec had given everything it could.

Witness Reda Deori told the court on Tuesday that between the time negotiations with FIQ began and the signing of the collective agreement, the Treasury Board had never informed her of its intention to provide additional sums to the nurses for the negotiated agreement. FIQ.

“The answer is very simple: no, I do not know the total,” said Mr. Diouri, a government spokesman at the FIQ table.

The Administrative Labor Tribunal reopened Tuesday its hearing on FIQ’s complaint against obstruction and bad faith bargaining in Quebec. CSN and CSQ have also lodged complaints in this regard.

FIQ’s complaint is based on the COVID ministerial order awarding bonuses, as well as statements made by Health and Social Services Minister Christian Dubey in this regard.

Before admitting that he never knew about this extra amount provided to Quebec nurses, Mr. Deori explained the lengthy negotiations to satisfy the demands of FIQ.

Several measures were discussed to reduce the workload of nurses, increase the number of compulsory overtime and full-time positions and add staff to the floors of health institutions, he said.

After months and months of negotiations, he was able to reach a full agreement in principle with FIQ.

A few weeks later, however, Quebec announced at a press conference that it was ready to allocate $ 1 billion for various activities aimed at bringing full-time nurses back into the public network.

Administrative Judge Miriam Bedard will continue her trial for a few more days.