PAY EQUITY AND SALARY RELATIVITY
Psychologists: the pressing need to correct pay inequity

On November 24, a coalition of eight unions, including the APTS, called for an emergency meeting with ministers Sonia LeBel, Christian Dubé, Bernard Drainville, Pascale Déry and Lionel Carmant. The unions wanted to discuss the urgent measures needed to overcome obstacles to attracting and retaining psychologists, and to correct serious and persistent wage discrimination in the profession. Seventeen days have gone by and despite repeated reminders and the fact that waiting lists are still “jammed up” at more than 20,000 people, the government has yet to respond to the unions’ demand. The crisis is severe, and the government’s silence is baffling and unacceptable. For more information, see the unions’ joint press release.

THE APTS IN THE NEWS
Youth protection workers reduced to survival mode

On December 8, APTS representatives gathered in front of the Dominique-Savio rehabiitation centre for young people with adjustment difficulties for a hard-hitting symbolic action that had a big impact across Québec. Invited to appear on the popular LCN cable news channel to talk about the distress of employees working in youth centres and at the DPJ, APTS president Robert Comeau roundly criticized crushing workloads that undermine workers’ ability to provide essential services and called for the rapid implementation of standards of practice that would genuinely improve conditions for front-line workers. To learn more, read our press release.

LOCAL CONTRACT TALKS
Pointe-Saint-Charles community clinic ratifies an agreement in principle

The APTS welcomes the news that members at the Pointe-Saint-Charles community clinic ratified an agreement on November 30, as part of contract talks leading to the signing of a new collective agreement. For a number of years, the salary conditions of the clinic’s employees were inferior to those of their fellow workers in the health and social service sector. Daniel Dubé, the APTS spokesperson at the clinic, said he was pleased by the catch-up increase and happy that the members in question are at last being remunerated for the true value of their work. To learn more, read our press release.

And so does Héma-Québec!

There’s also good news concerning Héma-Québec: an agreement in principle reached by the organization and the APTS for the renewal of the collective agreement was ratified by 95% of the members who attended a special general meeting on November 27. To learn more, read the article in Le Devoir.