VOLUME 13 No. 16 | OCTOBER 16, 2023 | OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Don't jeopardize your health! Our provincial OHS committee is actively involved in promoting prevention during the 2023 Occupational Health and Safety Week. Its message is that you can play a key role in making sure your physical and psychological health is no longer in jeopardy when you go to work. What you need to do is file a report! In a letter on this topic, Joël Bélanger, APTS 5th vice-president and political officer responsible for occupational health and safety, urges members to act: “Work overload, physical and verbal violence, repetitive movements causing pain, non-ergonomic work environments, etc. – the list of risk situations to which APTS members are exposed is long and worrisome. Stop jeopardizing your health – make a report!” | | PROVINCIAL BARGAINING TALKS
Sectoral matters: the government has produced a new smokescreen The employer party tabled its “priorities” at the various sectoral bargaining tables over the past few days. Together as one, health and social service unions belonging to the Front commun presented their response in an Info-Négo newsletter, noting that while the government claims this move is intended to help talks move forward, in fact, what we’re seeing is just one more PR exercise. Worth reading and sharing! | | Nine myths about Québec's public finances The government appears to acknowledge the labour shortage and work overload problems that are currently afflicting our health and social services system and all of Québec’s public sector, and yet it seems the time is never ripe for it to reinvest in better working conditions. Is it genuinely impossible, for economic and financial reasons, for Québec to give priority to public services and their employees at a time when public systems are in crisis? The Front commun, of which the APTS is a member, debunks nine different aspects of this popular misconception. Worth reading and sharing! | | DECISION-MAKING BODIES
Looking back at the General Council on October 12 As provincial contract talks were entering a crucial phase, the October 12 General Council took place by Zoom over one morning. Reports were heard from sectoral and intersectoral tables, delegates were consulted on the concepts of dissidence and support for majority decisions, and people were elected to take union leave in order to join the provincial bargaining team. Congratulations to François Latreille (educator), Karine Nantais (lawyer), and George Roumeliotis (physiotherapist and clinical coordinator) for their appointment! Another General Council will be held on October 18 – we’ll tell you about it in the next issue of the Fil@pts. | | PAY EQUITY AND RELATIVITY
CNESST decision on 2010 pay equity complaints The CNESST has just given its final decision for a majority of the complaints still active in relation to the 2010 pay equity audit. The APTS is in the process of analyzing the decision and will report back to you in a future issue of the Fil@pts to tell you what it means for each of the job titles that it covers. Until then, you can read the decision here (in French). | | ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
The APTS will participate in a major conference on social work | The APTS was happy to accept an invitation from the Institut du Nouveau Monde to join the États généraux du travail social, a major conference on social work. Our presentation, at 10:55 a.m. on October 25, will be part of public hearings that you can watch online free of charge – we encourage you to sign up for the event. We look forward to seeing you on October 25 to talk about shaping social work in the coming years! | Decentralization and its benefits for service users The APTS attended the convention of the Regroupement provincial des comités d'usagers, the provincial association of service user committees, on October 12 and 13 in Laval. The theme of the event was “Let’s talk about decentralization and its benefits for service users.” We participated in the event and its various workshops, and we also had a stall presenting APTS positions on the issue. Fruitful exchanges led to agreement on a shared goal of making service users, once again, the priority – which can only happen if the system is decentralized and if actors on the ground, i.e. care providers and service users, are taken into consideration. | | HEALTH CARE REFORM (PLAN SANTÉ)
The APTS talks about health and social services at the NDP convention | The APTS was excited to be invited to speak at the New Democratic Party 2023 convention on October 13. Our president, Robert Comeau, made a speech in which he discussed issues currently affecting health care and social services in Québec. | On the Dubé reform: “To carry out our proposals for a completely public, well-funded health and social services system that will provide Quebecers with high-quality care and its employees with the recognition and respect they deserve, we need politicians with a strong commitment to social progress. But this is not the direction taken by premier Legault and his health minister, Christian Dubé. With the Dubé reform, the government will sign contracts with private clinics for acts that its own employees are perfectly willing to carry out if the conditions are right. Increasing the role of the private sector in this way will necessarily damage our public system, with consequences such as reduced resources, a workers’ exodus, labour shortages, and work overload.” | On provincial contract talks: “If the government really cares about offering Quebecers high-quality, universal and accessible health care and social services, it will have to provide employees with decent compensation, but that’s not all. It will also have to give them conditions of practice that allow them to flourish professionally, and make it easier for them to balance family responsibilities, work, and personal life. The year is 2023 – almost 2024. We shouldn’t still be forced to negotiate for our members’ health, safety, and dignity.” | To counteract Meta’s decision to block the publication on Facebook of news originating with Canadian media, the APTS is now providing a summary of its media interventions (in French) on its website at aptsq.com/media2023. You can go to this page to access articles and interviews related to your union. | SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
It's just not fair! | Émilie Charbonneau, APTS 2nd vice-president and political officer responsible for socio-political action, took part in a press conference on October 5 with representatives of various organizations and political parties calling for a bill to reform the electoral system. - At every election, Quebecers express views that are not truly represented at the National Assembly.
- Many voters feel that their vote doesn’t count.
- We want a democracy that genuinely represents the beliefs and values expressed in Québec society.
- Democracy is something that belongs to us.
For all of these reasons, let’s sign the petition on the National Assembly website demanding changes to our voting system! For more information, see the Mouvement démocratie nouvelle website (in French). | "Horrors of the CAQ": time to demonstrate/take action to defend our social safety net
FRACA Montréal and the Coalition Main rouge invite you to a protest action to denounce the multiple attacks carried out by the Coalition Avenir Québec against our social safety net. The CAQ government was reelected a year ago; it’s now been in power for five years – and it’s competely out of control! For months, it’s been presenting bills and reforms straight out of a horror film in terms of their disastrous impact on our social safety net. That safety net is a work of solidarity – the product of our struggles past and present. Join FRACA Montréal and the Coalition Main rouge to challenge the CAQ’s horrors! Full details on the Facebook page for the event. | SOCIAL SECURITY
Your Retraite Québec account Whether you’re at the beginning, middle or end of your career, and even if your retirement is only a few days away, here is something you need to know! Over the past few years, Retraite Québec has been shifting to digital communications, and some documents are no longer available on paper. To make sure you don’t miss anything, you should sign up as soon as possible with My Account on the Retraite Québec website. Statements of participation for 2022 are currently being sent out, and this will continue until mid-December. Contact Retraite Québec for help if you have a problem setting up your account or any other technical issue with the Retraite Québec website. | | COMMUNICATIONS
We want your picture! We’re looking for photos of APTS members working under the following job titles: - Biomedical engineer
- Spiritual care worker
- Living and/or rehabilitation unit supervisor
- Community organizer
- Community worker
Selected photos will be published on the APTS website and social media as part of a visual montage for the week or day celebrating your profession. If you’re interested, send us an email with one or two photos showing your face and upper body, or photos of you at work. Be sure to indicate your job title. We won’t be able to publish all the photos we receive, but we’ll keep them on file for future use. Thank you for participating, and please feel free to share our request with your colleagues. | | | | | |
