A compensation gap that's getting smaller

The struggle of 420,000 Front commun workers got results, according to recent figures from Québec’s Institut de la statistique on the compensation of government employees.

Both the wage gap and the total compensation gap between workers employed in public services and other Québec employees have gotten smaller. In terms of total compensation, the gap is now only 2.1%.

“This is a step in the right direction. But we still have a long way to go!” said APTS president Robert Comeau and his Front commun peers.

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Youth centres are in deep crisis

And that means that punitive and superficial solutions will not be sufficient – the solutions we need to invest in are structural. That is the argument made by Sébastien Pitre, the APTS political officer in charge of youth protection, in an op-ed piece published in Le Devoir.

According to him, structural solutions include better working conditions, a more appropriate workload, and genuine political determination to implement needed measures.

He also emphasizes the need to avoid generalizations that would involve unfairly blaming all youth workers. These are people who care deeply, and a great majority of them are working with dedication and professionalism under extremely difficult conditions.

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Fourth factsheet on workload

Are you acquainted with EPP? This is the acronym used to talk about expanding professional practices, a process sometimes referred to as professional decompartmentalization.

Minister Christian Dubé has made this one of the magic remedies included in his plan to reform the health system (Plan santé). In fact, he wants to apply EPP to almost 20 professions.

While EPP sometimes has a positive impact on workload, it can also create problems. It’s all about getting the dosage right.

For more information, see the fourth of twelve fact sheets on workload that the APTS is publishing as part of its campaign to raise awareness of workload issues.

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Rising-scale premium: a triple victory for the APTS

The APTS recently won three cases involving the rising-scale premium that was implemented during the pandemic.

In one case, the employer had refused to pay the premium on the pretext that two conditions had to be met: location, and specific duties carried out at that location. The arbitrator ruled that the premium was associated with the location alone, without any other requirement.

In two other cases, the premium had been withheld from employees who were exercising a right conferred on them by law (absence for an employment injury). The Administrative Labour Tribunal (TAT) ruled that this constituted “reprisals” on the part of the employer.

These victories mean that employees will be able to obtain what they are owed.

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"A more inclusive world – I'm in!"

That’s the theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, 2024.

“I’m in” means acting to make our community more inclusive through actions or attitudes that will help reduce the obstacles faced by a disabled person.

Whether in your workplace, at school or in your own environment, you can make a difference, regardless of your role in society.

Are you in? Educational tools, including videos and training sessions, are available from the Office des personnes handicapées (in French).

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Where's Geneviève?

Do you know “Where’s Waldo?”, the puzzle book where you have to find Waldo in a series of illustrations that are crowded with details?

Instead of “Waldo,” try “Geneviève.” According to your responses to last week’s quiz, 95% of you were not aware of Geneviève Biron’s visit to your institution over the past six months.

The “human” aspect – including both employees and service users – was one of the priorities assigned by Christian Dubé to his “top gun.” In that context, her very discreet way of relating to employees seems to indicate a curious sense of priorities.

When it’s Waldo, at least you can always find him, even if it takes a while.

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