VOLUME 11 No. 21 | DECEMBER 13, 2021

PROVINCIAL BARGAINING TALKS
It's time to have your say

From December 13 to 21, special general assemblies are being held for you to vote on our agreement in principle with the government. You’ll find all the information you need in the Info-Nego section of our website, including full details of the agreement, a set of FAQs, a guide for participants at special general assemblies, a salary projection tool (in French), and the special general assemblies calendar. Don’t hesitate to contact your local team or write to us at nego2020@aptsq.com with any questions or concerns. We’re happy to support you throughout this process.

PAY EQUITY AND SALARY RELATIVITY
Newsletter

The latest edition of the Pay Equity and Salary Relativity newsletter is now available in English. Inside, you’ll find information about ongoing issues and recent events, including the settlement of our 2010 pay equity maintenance complaints and the creation of job titles.

LABOUR RELATIONS
Compensation for working on Christmas or New Year's

Under clause 9.09 of the national provisions of the collective agreement, employees who are at work on Christmas or New Year’s Day receive 150% of their normal rate of pay, and technicians who work overtime on either statutory holiday are paid at twice this increased rate (2 × 150% = 300%). You’ll find information about holiday work schedules, and compensatory days off for employees who are required to work on a statutory holiday, in the relevant section of your local provisions. Don’t hesitate to contact your union team if you need help.

Labour relations services are here for you over the holidays

APTS offices will be closed for the holidays from December 23 to January 3 inclusively, but emergency labour relations services will be available on December 27, 28, 29 and 30. If you find yourself in an urgent situation that can’t wait until January 4, call the APTS and leave a message. A labour relations counsellor will contact you as soon as possible.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
Bill 15: making the voice of youth workers heard

The APTS welcomes the tabling of Bill 15, An Act to amend the Youth Protection Act and other legislative provisions, and applauds the government’s commitment to putting children’s best interests at the centre of the decision-making process. That consensus – children first – is the cornerstone of the bill. Over the coming weeks, the APTS will scrutinize the contents of the draft bill as well as the plan to implement the “recommendactions” of the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection. These “recommendactions” will be debated in parliamentary committee, and the APTS will be taking full advantage of that forum to make the voices of youth workers heard. They’re the ones who will have to embody this law. And yet the director of youth protection has deliberately ignored them, excluding the APTS from a process that directly affects our members’ conditions of practice. Let’s not forget that this management approach was severely criticized by the Special Commission itself.

See our press release for more information.

SURVEY | The PQPTM: where we are and how it's affecting us

The PQPTM (Québec Program for Mental Disorders) is being implemented gradually in Québec’s health and social services institutions. The APTS wants to get an accurate picture of how it’s being deployed and its effects.

If you’re an employee working in a psychosocial sector, we hope you’ll answer our survey! The deadline for responding is 11.45 p.m. on December 31. It will take you about ten minutes to fill it out. Thank you in advance for your input – we deeply appreciate it.

WATCH NOW | On the front lines of homecare support

Problems with the services provided to seniors are hardly breaking news. But Maude Benoît, professor of political science at UQÀM, surveyed nearly 700 homecare support workers so that she could look inside the “black box” of how Québec’s homecare support policy is being implemented. To no one’s surprise, her study shows that although the government may say it wants to help seniors stay in their homes, the real logic currently shaping homecare support is just doing more with less.

Want to learn more? You can now watch the full recording of Professor Benoît’s October 19 webinar, “Que se passe-t-il aux premières lignes du soutien à domicile au Québec ?” (“What’s happening on the front lines of homecare support in Québec?”). You can also read the full research report on the État 21 website.

GOVERNANCE
Our new Monitoring Committee

At the last APTS Convention, delegates elected four members of the Monitoring Committee for a two-year term. The Monitoring Committee makes sure that the union’s revenue and expenses are in keeping with the decisions, policies and budgets adopted by the General Council.

We can now welcome the newly elected Pascale Naud and thank Mélanie Bergeron for her service on the Committee. Thank you also to the three members who were re-elected, for their past and future dedication.

Congratulations to Patrick Beauregard, Pascale Naud, Claudia Roy and Caroline Jomphe!

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
Bill 2: there's still work to be done

Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette publicly committed to removing the surgery requirement for people who want to change the sex designation on their birth certificate, but Bill 2 still creates serious risks of discrimination for trans, non-binary and intersex people.

The APTS is a member and ally of the Conseil québécois LGBT, which appeared before a parliamentary committee to argue for changes to Bill 2 – changes that could actually make this law promote self-determination and the right to life, dignity, control over one's body, and privacy.

We invite you to consult the Conseil's brief.