VOL. 9 No. 20| DECEMBER 18, 2019

NATIONAL BARGAINING
Nothing to attract new recruits and retain exhausted personnel

Proposing a pay increase of 7% over 5 years, the government barely offered public-sector employees enough to keep up with inflation. This prompted the presidents of the APTS and the FIQ to declare that the head of the Treasury Board, despite huge budget surpluses, is offering mere crumbs to those who have been keeping the healthcare system going. More information on the reaction of the APTS-FIQ alliance to the government’s offer is available on our website at negoapts.com.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

Laurent Commission urges youth protection workers to make their voices heard

The chair of the special commission on children’s rights and youth protection, Régine Laurent, did not mince words when she recently reminded managers that she would not tolerate having youth workers prevented from testifying at hearings or taking part in forums. Minister Carmant echoed her sentiments. With that in mind, we want to urge youth workers to use this forum to give the commissioners a more in-depth understanding of the field. If you’re interested in participating, we suggest you contact your local executive.

The Commission will resume its work on January 8, and continue until May 28. Hearings are scheduled to take place in Montréal, Sherbrooke, Québec City, Gatineau, Saguenay, and Rimouski.

From January 14 to February 3, 2020, commissioners will be visiting 17 regions across Québec to attend various forums, including 20 that are reserved for professionals. Registration is open.

You can also send your testimony in writing, to votrehistoire@csdepj.gouv.qc.ca.

Blogue de la TM

Nicole Déry, the outgoing 2nd vice-president, has posted her final medical technologist’s blog before handing over her responsibilities on lab issues to the newly elected 4th vice-president, Laure Letarte-Lavoie. She presented a critical assessment report to Minister McCann of how the OPTILAB reorganization has been conducted in the past few years.

 

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
Send your best wishes to Minister McCann

This holiday season, the Coalition solidarité santé, of which the APTS is a member, calls on the population to offer their best wishes to Minister McCann by letting her know we want a 100% public, universal pharmacare plan for 2020!

Québec’s private-public pharmacare system has failed to live up to its promises. It has created increasing inequities and resulted in skyrocketing costs, which is why we are calling for the system to be reformed to make it more equitable and to lower our healthcare bills. To send your wishes to Minister McCann, go to: http://remedeauxcoupures.cssante.com/.

The Google Tax to line government coffers

The diverted profits tax, also know as the Google Tax, is a punitive tax that encourages transnational corporations to pay taxes on the profits they generate in each country. The tax has been applied in the UK since 2016 and produced roughly $650 million in additional taxes for 2017-2018. When will the Québec government apply a similar tax to corporations that are raking in profits in the province without paying any taxes? Visit the website of the anti-tax haven collective, Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux, for more information about this solution, as well as other solutions put forward by the collective.

SOCIAL SECURITY
Lower contribution rate for the RREGOP

Every three years, the RREGOP pension committee asks Retraite Québec to prepare an actuarial valuation of benefits payable by members. This valuation is designed notably to determine the contribution rate according to the policy for funding the RREGOP. Based on data on December 31, 2017, the effective contribution rates set for the years 2020 to 2022 are 10.63%, 10.33%, and 10.04%. For your reference, the current rate for 2019 is 10.88%.

For more details, we invite you to consult the actuarial valuation on the Retraite Québec website.

Travel insurance under the basic plan

Travel insurance and trip cancellation will be offered under the basic insurance plan starting January 1. Accordingly, members covered under this plan will receive a new membership card from the insurer in January. If you haven’t received your new card yet, you are still eligible for coverage as of that date. In the meantime, if you need to travel, we invite you to contact SSQ Insurance customer service before you leave.

Our group insurance... at a glance

The 2020 edition of the SSQ brochure, At a glance, is now available. The brochure summarizes the various types of coverage offered under our group insurance plan and presents the new rates. It is available on our website.

For any questions regarding insurance coverage, we invite you to contact SSQ Insurance Customer Service at 1-877-651-8080 or by logging in to your customer centre account at https://ssq.ca/en/customer-centre.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Your leader in OHS

Do you know any individuals from your institution who stood out this past year for their skills in occupational health safety (OHS) or for inspiring, tangible achievements in that field? You can nominate them for a Spotlight on Leaders in OHS prize, awarded by our sectoral association, ASSTSAS. The prize winner will be unveiled at the ASSTSAS annual convention on April 21, 2020. More information on the criteria and conditions for submitting candidacies is available on the ASSTSAS website.

UNION LIFE
Discover your Executive Committee

The members of the APTS Executive Committee have now taken up their duties. To learn more about their backgrounds and their main responsibilities, or to simply put a face to the names of the newly elected members of the Committee, visit our website under À propos/Structure politique du site web de l’APTS. You can also see photos of individual members of the APTS team in the members-only section of our website.