... and so does the APTS

On the same day, the APTS tabled its sectoral demands with the management bargaining committee for the health and social services sector. At the heart of these demands is more time for you, premiums that better reflect your reality as a professional or technician, genuine recognition of overtime, and better measures to support your professional development. A Bargaining Update newsletter will be sent to you tomorrow to tell you about APTS sectoral demands.

APTS IN THE NEWS
On the urgency of addressing the labour shortage

On October 21, the day after Premier Legault unveiled his new cabinet, APTS president Robert Comeau was on the LCN news channnel to remind the government that the labour shortage in health and social services is an urgent problem that must be addressed. “The public sector has the resources and equipment to provide the services we need,” he said. “But we have to make it possible for professionals and technicians to do their job.” On being asked if calling on the private sector might be a viable solution, his response was unambiguous. “Private companies recruit people from the public system – so nothing will be resolved as long as they’re offering better conditions. I’m waiting for the minister of health and social services to send a clear signal that he believes in his public system and wants to invest in it.” The APTS president reiterated this statement last Friday at a media scrum on the filing of the Front commun demands.

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Are you a Twitter fan? Why not follow APTS president Robert Comeau, or your union, if you haven’t already signed up? When you share our tweets, you’re helping the APTS make its positions known, sending our messages throughout the Twitterverse.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
Is there a downside to the world going digital?

Do you feel that you’re constantly being bombarded with information, or asked to provide it? Do you have a feeling of overload and loss of control now that digital tools have taken over every aspect of your personal and professional lives? If so, you’re suffering from technostress, and you’re not alone. To learn more about this phenomenon and protect yourself against it, see the latest factsheet in our
AI in Focus series.

Calculating disability benefits: a major APTS gain

The 2020-2023 national provisions ensure significantly better disability benefits for anyone whose disability leave begins after January 29, 2022.

The amount of your benefits must now be based on the pay you would actually receive if you were at work, rather than on your rate of pay according to the salary scale. This means that all premiums, except evening- and night-shift, shift rotation and weekend premiums, must be taken into consideration when your benefits are calculated.

The new provisions also say that you can accumulate experience and advance echelons during your disability leave. This means that your benefits will increase during your leave if you accumulate enough experience to move to a higher echelon.

Some employers have told us that their software programs do not yet enable them to apply these provisions. If you see this happening at your workplace, we urge you to contact your local team and take part in any appropriate recourse as required.

BLUEAPTS
The private sector in health care: panacea or bad idea?

Is the private sector more effective in providing health care? Is it cheaper? Can it be useful in reducing waiting lists? The topic has been on everyone’s lips since the election campaign, but given the widely diverging opinions, it’s hard to know what to think. So what are we to make of the government’s intended strategy for this term of office, especially in the context of rolling out its notorious Plan santé to reform our health and social services system? Anne Plourde, author and researcher at IRIS (Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques), helps us sort out fact from fiction. Read about her conclusions in
a new article in BlueAPTS.

2023 contract talks: how can we win?

We’ve barely come out of the last contract talks and already we’re starting a new round. What have we learned from the previous talks? What obstacles can we expect in this upcoming trial of strength, and how can we overcome them? We interviewed APTS president Robert Comeau and 1^st vice-president Josée Fréchette, the political officer responsible for national bargaining talks, to hear what they’re thinking just before a key moment in our union life – the tabling of our demands. Read the interview in BlueAPTS.

UNION LIFE
New blood in APTS committees

Members of the ad hoc working committee on rules of order for provincial decision-making bodies were elected by the APTS General Council on October 27. The committee now consists of Alexis D’Aoust-Tremblay, community organizer at the Hôpital d'Amqui (CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent); Patrick Beauregard, social worker at the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal; Simon Brossoit, assistant chief (laboratory) at the Hôpital Fleurimont (CIUSSS de l’Estrie - CHUS); and Valérie Lepage, social worker at the CLSC Lamater de Terrebonne (CISSS Lanaudière). Jacinthe Galaise, clinical activities specialist at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie - CHUS, joined the provincial overview committee after someone stepped down. The APTS warmly congratulates these new committee members and thanks them for their contribution to our union’s democratic life.

A new executive director for the APTS

In late September, the executive committee appointed Martine Robert executive director of the APTS. She had been the interim executive director of the union since April 14. She is remarkable for her deep knowledge of our organization and her vision for its future development.

Martine Robert has been involved with the APTS for the past 17 years. She has held a number of positions, including provincial representative (this was known as political liaison officer at the time) and 1^st vice-president from 2014 to 2017. She also served the APTS as labour relations director and director of member and local executive services (2017-2022).

Now confirmed in her functions as executive director, she’ll be able to count on the support of executive committee members in carrying out her new job. We wish her every success.