By Patrick Bouchard, Insurance Broker, CIP & RCCAQ Chair

Negotiations between the Quebec government and the Interprofessional Healthcare Workers Federation (FIQ) had gotten off to a bad start. The representatives of some 66,000 registered nurses, licenced practical nurses, respiratory therapists and other healthcare workers broke off talks after denouncing the government negotiators' lack of commitment. The health minister reportedly had to intervene personally to get the ball rolling again.

Historic agreement for nurses
A 10-day flurry of negotiations came to an end on the evening of December 4 with the conclusion of an historic agreement resolving a number of major irritants.

Here are some of the gains that nurses obtained:  

• An "adequate" ratio of nurses per patient in all service areas.
• More full-time positions for RNs, LPNs and respiratory therapists, thereby reducing reliance on private agencies and shoring up the functioning of many services.

Success factors
To be sure, the FIQ's determination and the numerous ways they demonstrated the legitimacy of their demands all contributed to the conclusion of the agreement. But public support and goodwill towards caregivers (and the fact that their demands were aimed at improving patient care) were also very important. 

CEGEP teachers : a 5% increase
The Federation of CEGEP teachers (ASPPC), which has some 20,000 members, confirmed that it reached an agreement in principle with the Quebec government on December 6. The agreement provides for pay increases of nearly 5%.  

How did they obtain such a major concession? By calling for a re-evaluation of CEGEP instructors' work based on their effort, qualifications, responsibilities and working conditions. The results of this review enabled the unions to reclassify CEGEP teachers' work under a higher official "ranking".

"We'd been seeking Rank 23 for a long time. We mobilized our members in order to emphasize the fact that CEGEP instructors are involved in higher education. That was a major issue for us," said Nicole Lefebvre, a physics instructor at De Maisonneuve CEGEP.

Lessons for the RCCAQ
The New Year will be crucial in terms of negotiations surrounding the Bill 188 review. In the meantime, the RCCAQ will be moving forward with its preparatory work. Based on successful government negotiations with nurses and CEGEP instructors, we can conclude that the task ahead will be a demanding one and that we will have to join forces in large numbers— but that gains are indeed possible!

To learn more (articles in French)

Historic agreement for nurses

Cegeps teacher's major gains