FIQ Members Vote on Conciliator’s Collective Agreement Recommendation

The vote among the approximately 80,000 members of the Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) is underway, with the deadline set for Thursday evening at 8 p.m. Members are deciding on whether to accept a recommendation from a conciliator to renew their collective agreement.

Lia Lévesque of La Presse Canadienne reports that the outcome is eagerly awaited following the rejection of a previous tentative agreement by 61% of members in April. The voting commenced on Tuesday evening after a series of informational assemblies were conducted over several weeks to explain the conciliator’s proposal.

The voting process experienced initial technical difficulties due to high member participation, but this issue has since been resolved. Members of FIQ are tasked with deciding on a proposal that addresses, among other things, the contentious issue of nurse mobility between care units and possibly between different healthcare facilities.

Previously, the rejection was largely influenced by concerns over clauses that permitted the reassignment of nurses across various units, which was perceived as undermining their expertise and disrupting the continuity of patient care. Since the rejection, further negotiations have shaped more defined boundaries around this mobility requirement.

If accepted, the conciliator’s recommendation will form the basis of a new collective agreement. Should it be rejected, negotiations will resume. The current collective agreement expired on March 31, 2023, and since then, members have participated in a series of work stoppages while maintaining essential services.

The FIQ, representing the majority of nurses, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists, and clinical perfusionists in Quebec healthcare institutions, emphasizes the importance of participation in this vote.