PROVINCIAL CONTRACT TALKS / LABOUR RELATIONS
Payment of additional compensation

The new national provisions of the collective agreement are now in force, and under clause 9.14, two additional compensation amounts (lump-sum payments) will be paid by the employer to all employees on February 25. The first amount is equal to $0.33 for each paid hour between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020, and the second is equal to $0.33 for each paid hour between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

In calculating the amount you’ll receive, all paid hours will be taken into account, including overtime and on-call duty hours, hours of paid time off (vacation, statutory holidays, floating days off, special leave, etc.), and hours of paid leave (sick leave, disability insurance, maternity, paternity and adoption leave). Parental leave allowance, and benefits paid by the CNESST, IVAC, the SAAQ and the employer in cases of work-related accidents, will also be included in the calculation.

Don’t forget to check that you’ve received your payments by the end of February.

For more information about the new provisions of your collective agreement, visit negoapts.com.

A new way of calculating your annual vacation leave

Under the new collective agreement, the employer must recognize all the years of service you’ve accumulated in the health and social services system when determining the amount of your annual vacation leave.

We advise you to check as soon as possible that all your previous records of employment are on file, and that they accurately reflect your total years of service. It’s important that you do this before the summer vacation calendar is posted.

Be aware that your employer may require proof of any information that is not already on file.

Don’t hesitate to contact your local team if you have questions. For more information about the new provisions of your collective agreement, visit negoapts.com.

COVID 19
Protection and premiums: new developments

If you’re pregnant, you can now visit the COVID page on our website to find out whether your employer is complying with INSPQ recommendations for your protection during the pandemic.

The COVID page also includes new information about the rising-scale premium. Although the APTS succeeded in getting the government to extend the premium, some job titles are still being unjustly excluded. We’ll keep on working to achieve recognition for the work of all professionals and technicians in health and social services.

UNION LIFE
New faces on the Provincial Council

Congratulations to three elected officers who recently joined the Provincial Council:

• Ariane Beauchemin-Pépin, provincial representative for the MUHC and private institutions under agreement;
• Karine Ferland, provincial representative for Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean;
• Léonie Blanchette, replacing Teresa Muccari as provincial representative for West-Central Montreal.

Thank you also to Pascal Robert, who will be replacing Michaël Rocheleau as provincial representative for Montérégie-Centre until February 12.

A complete list of provincial representatives is available on our website.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Are you "working alone"?

If you’re working on your own in a setting where you can’t be seen or heard by any other person, if you can’t get help in the event of a work incident or accident and can’t access any means of communication, then the answer is yes. To find out about your employer’s obligations in this situation, read our OHS factsheet.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
2022-2023 budget: the APTS calls for commitment to long-term funding for health and social services

On Wednesday, the APTS took advantage of the Québec government’s pre-budget consultations to present the following recommendations to members of the finance minister’s office:

• create a budgetary shield to stabilize funding for the health and social services system;
• maintain a high level of reinvestment in health and social services;
• suspend payments to the Generations Fund and reduce doctors’ excessive compensation;
• close the funding gap created by the most recent round of budget cuts.

To learn more about our demands and the thinking behind them, read our brief (in French).

WEBINAR | Imagining a post-COVID society

For two years, the pandemic has been revealing our system’s significant vulnerabilities: social inequality, disintegrating public services, the impact of climate change. Taking place on an unprecedented scale, the crisis called for major government intervention. What role will the state play going forward? An upcoming virtual conference entitled “Après la pandémie: austérité, relance ou transition ?” (After the pandemic: austerity, recovery or transition?) will focus on this issue.

The APTS is a partner in the conference and invites you to attend it. As citizens and health and social service workers, you have a stake in the post-COVID society.

For full details and to register, visit the website of the École d’innovation sociale Élisabeth-Bruyère.

Racism in health and social services: seeing it for what it is

At the January 26–27 General Council, Sandra Étienne, 4^th vice-president and officer responsible for the provincial cultural diversity committee, presented the results of our survey on racism in the health and social services system. More than 2,000 APTS members responded to the survey. Here are the key takeaways:

• 80% of respondents said they think systemic racism exists in health and social services. This is important, given that the government still rejects the concept.
   
• However, most respondents who do not belong to a cultural minority said they have not witnessed racism in their immediate work environment.
   
• Most respondents who do belong to a cultural minority said the opposite. This indicates that people who don’t experience racism directly still need to work on seeing and recognizing it.

The survey also helped identify priority actions that the committee will undertake or promote. Stay tuned!

WEBINAR | Together, let's reduce the ecological footprint of the health and social services system

Join us on February 23 at 6:30 p.m. for a webinar with Émilie Desforges, a speech-language pathologist who’s involved in a collective known as La Planète s’invite en santé. She’ll be presenting different courses of action that could lead to a more sustainable health and social services system.

As health and social service workers, our job is to take care of people, and we do our best to provide services that will improve their quality of life. Let’s put that same energy into advocating for alternate ways of organizing work that will limit our system’s ecological footprint. That way, health and social services can play a leading role in a just ecological transition!

For details, visit the Facebook page for the event.

COMMUNICATIONS
Call for photos

The APTS wants to focus on the value of your work on days when the health and social services system highlights your job. Step into the spotlight by sending us portrait-style photos of you or your coworkers, or photos taken at work. All job titles are welcome, but right now we’re specifically looking for photos from the following:

• biomedical engineer
• biomedical engineering technical coordinator
• biomedical engineering technician
• specialized educator
• special education technician
• dental hygienist
• orthotics-prosthetics technician
• gerontology technician
• electrodynamics technician
• art therapist
• medical illustrator

If you like the idea, please send us your pictures at info@aptsq.com no later than February 21.

Thank you!