PROVINCIAL CONTRACT TALKS
Government's economic update confims that public-sector employees are getting poorer

The economic update provided by the minister of finance confirms that government offers are out of touch with reality. Given the minister’s new data on inflation, the pay offer tabled in October 2023 is even worse than the one put forward in December 2022 – over 5 years, the rate of impoverishment has gone from 7.4% to 7.8%. With inflation forecasts going up by 1.7%, it’s obvious that the Front commun is justified in demanding an automatic, permanent clause to protect workers’ purchasing power. See the Front commun website for more details (in French).

Strike action, Day 1: acting in solidarity... and looking ahead to more walkouts

All across Québec, thousands of workers were speaking up loud and clear. Banners were high in the air, trumpets and voices could be heard from afar, and Quebecers were honking their horns to show their support.

The government doesn’t seem to be getting the message, hoiwever, which is why the sun had barely risen on the picket line in front of the Collège de Maisonneuve in Montréal when Front commun spokespersons announced the dates of the next strike action from November 21 to 23. If nothing’s moving at the bargaining table, there’s only one thing we can do: show that we’re united and strong – together as one – when we go out on strike again.

For pictures of the strike on November 6, see the Front commun strike diary.

Putting an end to the double rate for overtime: government is fuelling workers' anger

The government isn’t acting in good faith on the sectoral front, either. As of November 4, Treasury Board president Sonia LeBel had put an end to overtime paid at twice the regular rate of pay. This rate had been implemented during the public health crisis and the employer had even suggested making it permanent, before changing its mind in October. “What happened since last December to make the government think these incentives are no longer needed?” said representatives of the FSSS-CSN, FP-CSN, APTS, CUPE-Québec (FTQ), SQEES-FTQ and FSQ-CSQ. “Have waiting lists gotten shorter? Are people making fewer visits to emergency rooms? Has mandatory overtime become unusual?” The union spokespersons also noted that “Minister LeBel is going back on recognition granted to workers who provide services beyond normal work hours. Once again, she’s showing us that she’s completely out of touch with the needs of our public system, and she’s exacerbating the labour shortages that are bringing the system down.”

For more information, see the unions’ joint press release.

THE APTS IN THE MEDIA
Talking about public-sector contract talks on Paul Arcand's radio show

The first strike day was in full swing last Monday as Robert Comeau and Éric Gingras, presidents of the APTS and the CSQ, joined Paul Arcand’s radio show to talk about the 2023 bargaining talks. How things are going at the bargaining tables, the plan for the next two weeks, labour shortages and the future of the public sector were discussed during a wide-ranging interview.

FINANCIAL SERVICES
Strike action and strike pay

Were you on strike on November 6? You are eligible for strike pay if you were on strike for more than 20% of your regular schedule. To obtain compensation, you must complete the claim form. To do so, make sure that you have your strike coupon on hand and that you’ve downloaded your pay slip indicating a pay cut for November 6. You must also know your employee ID number and the percentage of essential services you were required to maintain.

Go to aptsq.com/strike for more information, and contact your local executive if you have any problems.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
Tax havens: $120 billion transfered to Luxembourg in 10 years!

A report published on November 2 revealed that, over the past decade, 59 Canadian companies – including 33 headquartered in Québec – have transferred $119.8 billion in profits to Luxembourg for tax purposes. The report also showed that many of these companies received subsidies during the pandemic while transferring profits to the notorious tax haven. The government keeps saying its salary offers are justified because Québec “can’t afford” to pay more – it should start by recovering the money owed by these companies!

For more information, read the article “L’évitement fiscal depuis le Luxembourg: la filière canadienne” published by IRIS (the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques).

FEMINIST ACTION
Gender-based precarity and violence that is too often ignored

Precarity and poverty are forms of violence. The current period is even more difficult for vulnerable groups, as the cost of living continues to soar and wages can barely keep up with inflation. This situation results from our choices: the choices of decision-makers and the choices we make as a society. “12 Days of Action to End Violence Against Women” is a campaign that urges us to question the unacceptable standards we've tolerated for far too long.

We encourage you to wear a white ribbon to show your support for this cause. For more information about the activities taking place in your area from November 25 to December 6, visit the website:12 jours d’action contre les violences faites aux femmes.

PROVINCIAL CONTRACT TALKS | LABOUR RELATIONS
New travel allowance rates

On October 18, 2023, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) issued updated guidelines increasing certain travel allowance rates provided for in the national provisions of the collective agreement. As of October 1, 2023, the new allowances are 60¢/km for the first 8,000 km and 53¢/km for any distance covered after that. An amount of 15¢/km is added to the stipulated allowances for kilometres travelled on gravel roads.

The employer has 30 days from the date the guideline was issued to make adjustments retroactive to December 13, 2022.

You can find more information in the newsletter published by the Minister of Health and Social Services (MSSS) (in French).

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
APTS considering the latest trends in work organization

The APTS – represented by Sandra Etienne, 4th vice-president at the time – took part in the convention of the Conseil interprofessionnel du Québec on November 2. Held under the theme of modernizing the professional system, the conference presentations offered much food for thought on the challenges of expanding the scope of professional practices. A sense of meaning at work, protecting the public, the hypercentralization of professional orders, and the necessity of recognizing and valuing professions are some of the issues involved in modernization, which must include all parties concerned. What kind of professional system do we want for the future?

On the same day, the 7th edition of the Informatique Santé symposium took place, during which health institutions and the MSSS presented recent developments in the project to digitize Quebecers’ medical records (Dossier santé numérique). The APTS was there to gather the latest information and to discuss the challenges of digitizing the health care system with the architects of the plan.

HEALTH CARE REFORM (PLAN SANTÉ)
6 remedies to revolutionize Québec's health and social services system

Since the publication of the government’s plan to reform the health and social services (Plan santé) in March 2022, many voices – including that of the APTS – have warned that this reform is simply repeating the mistakes of the past and is bound to fail. In fact, evidence-informed data from Québec and elsewhere is unequivocal: centralization and privatization have negative consequences, making services less accessible and reducing their quality while creating problems of equity, all at a higher financial cost for both service users and the government.The Institut de recherche et d'informations socioéconomiques (IRIS) published “Six remèdes pour révolutionner le réseau de la santé et des services sociaux au Québec" on November 13, offering an alternative to the Dubé reform for building the health and social services system of the future. A must-read to keep (or to restore) hope!