The APTS takes legal action against Santé Québec

On February 5, the APTS filed an official complaint against Santé Québec for interfering with union activities by failing to pay the premiums we negotiated.

These premiums have been due for over four months. The APTS has approached the employer on multiple occasions and filed grievances in every institution to make them see reason. It’s time for the the big guns.

The APTS is demanding the immediate payment of all amounts owed, with interest, as well as compensation for harm caused. Our local teams are also continuing a blitz on the ground to put pressure on institutions.

For more information

Grievance arbitration: the APTS is a major league player!

When your batting average in baseball is .333, you know for sure you’ll be playing in the All-Star Game. And in terms of grievance arbitration, the APTS is batting .381!

In 2024, the APTS achieved total or partial victory in 67% of the cases it took to arbitration. The general average is 35%!

Our union does significantly better than others in this regard, and more than other unions, we are helping to shape jurisprudence in labour law.

With the APTS, your rights are well defended. We’re batting for you!

For more information

Bill 83: aimed at the wrong target

When Christian Dubé introduced Bill 83, he said he had a “very clear objective”: he wanted to make the public system stronger.

His intentions are good, but he’s aiming at the wrong target. That’s what the APTS told him in a brief filed last week. What he needs to address is the movement of experienced physicians who are deserting the public system in droves to go to the private sector.

Dubé also needs to address the cause of this desertion; that means he needs to improve working conditions and invest in infrastructure to make the public system more attractive.

The APTS has put forward seven recommendations on this topic. The goal is to give physicians reasons for staying in the system rather than leaving it.*

See the APTS recommendations (in French)

*Breaking news: On the sidelines of the parliamentary consultations on his bill, Mr. Dubé noted that “other groups [the APTS?] think we’re not going far enough, and are even suggesting other measures […] to improve access for Quebecers.”

Home care: an APTS brief on the upcoming provincial policy

“People before statistics” (L’humain avant les statistiques) is the title of a brief recently submitted by the APTS (in French) to the health and social services ministry on Québec’s future policy for home care.

The APTS is basically arguing that we need to review the way things are done in order to humanize home care and grant a central role to the clinical judgement of professionals when decisions are made for service users.

APTS demands include improving conditions of work and practice, ensuring less cumbersome administrative processes, reducing interference in clinical decisions, putting an end to the revolving door phenomenon and the privatization of home care, and assigning a central role to CLSCs.

For more information

Our digital era: negative impacts that are sometimes hard to see

Because APTS members are already feeling the impact of digital technologies in the health and social services system, the APTS was well positioned to give its opinion to Québec’s labour minister, who is carrying out consultations on the future of workplaces in the digital era.

In a document recently shared with the minister, the APTS explains that digital technologies are starting to raise legitimate concerns on the ground for a variety of reasons such as work overload, a sometimes inappropriate use, and dehumanized services.

The APTS points out that strong action is required. This would include a legal framework, a change to how work is organized, a gradual transition, and a set of standards. The APTS itself is in the process of consulting its members on this issue.

For more information (in French)

March 8: your signature is needed

The APTS invites you to sign a letter (in French) supporting the launch of actions related to the World March of Women, organized by the committee coordinating the March. The theme is “Your signature, our strength” (“Votre signature, notre force”).

For the past 25 years, the World March of Women has mobilized hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world who have demanded profound and long-lasting change for women, everywhere on our planet.

This year’s theme is “Still striving” as we continue to fight against the violence and poverty imposed on women, and for feminist climate and environmental justice.

Sign the letter (in French)

When everything is just... too much

If you often feel that you’re overwhelmed, losing control, or helpless at work, that’s not normal. Working under conditions like these has an impact on the care and services you provide, and on your physical and mental health.

Don’t hesitate to bring this up with your team and your manager. If the situation continues, contact your local union team – they’re there to support you whenever labour relations are involved.

There are ways of dealing with this issue, and solutions. The APTS’s 8th fact sheet, part of its information campaign on workload, will tell you more.

See the fact sheet

Social workers needed

Are you interested in helping research advance in your field? You can do that by responding to a questionnaire developed by Isabelle Godbout, a Ph.D candidate at ENAP (École nationale d’administration publique).

Her research is designed to find out how the recognition given to social workers has influenced the development and implementation of public policies in the health and social services system.

Your contribution could help make things change.

Fill out the questionnaire (in French)

Plain language

In our last quiz, 50% of you correctly identified ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) as the body that established the standard for what is known as plain language.

The plain language standard is ISO 24495-1, and the authors of the Fil@pts apply its four governing principles to all of the information we share with you. The standard says that for readers, information must be:

1. relevant,
2. findable,
3. understandable, and
4. usable.

In a world where people are overwhelmed by information and face an often heavy workload, using plain language is a way of showing consideration for our readers and making their lives easier.

Take the quiz