CONTRACT TALKS
The government wants to maintain pay discrimination

There won’t be a collective agreement until we get a catch-up pay increase and until we make gains in terms of pensions, parental rights, and regional disparities. This is the message being driven home by the APTS-FIQ alliance through their joint advertising campaign. Have you seen it? It’s on the negoapts.com website: We’re done being paid a woman’s wage!

Unfortunately, the government doesn’t seem to be getting the message. On May 2, it carried out a large-scale public relations exercise to put across the idea that its latest offers are generous. At a press conference on the same day, the APTS president pointed out that these offers actually conceal setbacks for employees working in youth centres, laboratories, medical imaging, mental health, intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. See our press release for more details.

National demonstration on May 22

At the bargaining table, it’s become clear that for the Legault government, the male category is always worth more than the female. On May 22, healthcare professionals and health and social services professionals and technicians will take to the streets to send a message to Treasury Board president Sonia LeBel. The message is: You have to pay for our expertise – regardless of gender. Join us at 1:30 p.m. at the Place des Montréalaises (Champ-de-Mars metro station). You can also follow the event on Facebook, and don’t forget to invite your family, colleagues, and friends!

LABOUR RELATIONS
Going back to work after an employment injury

Are you going back to work after an absence caused by an employment injury or occupational disease? The law says you should benefit from all of the rights and advantages associated with your job, just as if you had been doing it throughout the time you were receiving compensation. In addition, employees who have been on leave because of an illness or accident are protected by the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, which means they cannot be subject to any kind of distinction or exclusion based on grounds that are forbidden, such as disability.

When you go back to work, you should therefore make sure that your employer is complying with these provisions. Specifically, you might want to make sure that during your absence, you have continued to accumulate experience for the purpose of advancing echelons.

SUBSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
A single front against the public health crisis and the climate crisis

Earth Day, April 22, was the day chosen by the Québec labour movement to launch an inter-union coalition to fight climate change: the Réseau intersyndical pour le climat. The purpose of the organization is to bring unions together to work for an energy transition that will be fair for all Quebecers. We can't let the climate emergency be overshadowed by the health crisis. A letter signed by the presidents of 11 labour organizations was published in Le Devoir to mark the launch.

SOCIAL SECURITY
Questionnaire about your group insurance plan

This week, we’ll be sending you a link to a survey that will tell us how you feel about various changes that could be made to your group insurance plan when the time comes to renew it. The questions focus on potential changes that have been requested since the 2018 survey, which dealt with all types of coverage provided by the plan. Given that more extensive coverage generally leads to higher premiums, we limit the number of changes that can be carried out in any given year.

The survey will be sent to your personal email address. If you haven’t received it by Monday, May 10, please check your junk mail folder, and if you don’t find it there, write to us at sondage@aptsq.com.

Making sense of the RREGOP in May

Whether you’re at the beginning of your career or just about to retire, this webinar will give you the tools you need to optimize your participation in your pension plan. This is your last opportunity to attend one of the sessions before the summer. The webinar will take place in English on May 6, from noon to 2 p.m., and in French on May 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. New dates will be announced in the fall.

Click here to sign up for the session in English, and here to sign up in French. Sessions last about two hours. Union leave time cannot be granted for this type of meeting. If you need help, don’t hesitate to write to us at retraite.assurance@aptsq.com.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
Youth Protection Action Week

Just before the special commission on the rights of children and youth protection (CSDEPJ) released its final report, a number of APTS members mobilized throughout Québec from April 26 to 30, demanding concrete solutions to end work overload, psychological distress, and the exodus from Youth Protection (DPJ). Find out about the report on the CSDEPJ website.

Protecting your professional autonomy

Do you find it difficult to set boundaries with your manager? Do you feel overwhelmed by multiple demands? Are you afraid you won’t be able to live up to your ethical and professional obligations? Do you have a strong sense that your professional judgement is being ignored? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it’s time to look at our booklet on Protecting your professional autonomy. Clearly and simply written, it suggests ways of taking action to restore your power at work. Don’t hesitate to share it with your colleagues. Solidarity is the best way for us to defend our professional rights.

Healthcare Star awards (Stars du réseau de la santé)

The APTS has been associated with the healthcare Star awards (Stars du réseau de la santé) since their inception. The awards are given out every year by the Caisse Desjardins du réseau de la santé as a tribute to remarkable achievements by employees in various categories, including ours. You’re invited to watch the online award ceremony starting at noon on May 7. This is a great opportunity to hear about your colleagues’ exceptional initiatives and share in their pride. Register to get the link by email.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
Provincial cultural diversity committee

Members have now been elected to the newly established provincial cultural diversity committee. Congratulations to Arlene Chambers (CIUSSS Montréal West Island), Sandra Étienne (MUHC), Karima Mabrouk (CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal) and Maxime Quach (CIUSSS de la Montérégie-Centre). The work is just beginning.

A talk you won't want to miss

The opening event of the Carrefour des idées will be a talk by Damien Contandriopoulos, who teaches at the University of Victoria, on the current state of the health and social services system and its history. The talk will be broadcast live on the APTS YouTube page (in French). You're welcome to attend, whether or not you’ve signed up for the Carrefour des idées. And your friends and colleagues are welcome too!

Join us on May 5 at 1:30 p.m. The link will be available at that time on the APTS YouTube page.

The anti-tax haven collective responds to the federal budget

The 2021 federal budget contains announcements related to tax justice which have been analyzed on your behalf by an anti-tax haven collective, Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux. The APTS is proud to be a member of this collective, whose goal is to put an end to the scandal of tax havens and their use by the wealthiest people in Canada and Québec. Read the collective’s analysis here (in French).