Healthcare Workers Mobilize Against Dubé Reform
Around 40 people gathered outside the Maria hospital on Monday to once again denounce Health Minister Christian Dubé’s healthcare reform, organized by the Union of Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Respiratory Therapists of Eastern Quebec affiliated with the CSQ. The wide-ranging reform by the Legault government, passed under a gag order last December, aims to make the Quebec healthcare system more efficient, but some unions are concerned about the emphasis on the private sector and believe it could harm employees’ working conditions.
The goal of improving services has been a long-standing priority. However, the issue lies in the fact that reforms have never actually improved the system. This is the third reform in less than twenty years. “It would be better to consolidate what already exists in the system,” explains SIIIEQ-CSQ President Pier-Luc Bujold.
Bujold also fears excessive centralization of the system, which could strip power from regional individuals as decisions are made in Quebec. The reform includes major changes such as the establishment of Santé Québec agency, which will become the sole employer by integrating CISSS and CIUSSS.
The retention of personnel is a significant challenge. The union’s mobilization is part of the sectoral negotiation between the Quebec government and SIIIEQ-CSQ, whose collective agreement expired on March 31, 2023. Bujold attributes service disruptions in obstetrics, emergency services, and CLSCs in recent years to difficult working conditions that hinder recruitment and retention of staff.
According to the Montreal Economic Institute, nearly half of nurses leave the profession before the age of 35, mainly due to working conditions. Dubé’s reform, which will allow users to access private services when public wait times are too long, will not address this fundamental problem, says Bujold. Developing the private sector at the expense of the public will inevitably lead to worker migration. The focus should be on attracting and retaining personnel through good working conditions and a collective agreement that stabilizes jobs in the public healthcare system.
Additionally, the reform will merge union accreditations and establish a single seniority list to facilitate staff mobility between regions. Isabelle Dumaine, president of the Quebec Health Federation affiliated with the CSQ, acknowledges the limited workforce in remote regions but emphasizes that staff mobility must be voluntary.
The goal of the union’s mobilization is to raise awareness of the perceived negative effects of the reform. With a larger structure further removed from field actors, decisions may become even more disconnected from the realities on the ground, warns Dumaine.
Further gatherings are scheduled for Tuesday at the Chandler hospital, Wednesday at the Gaspé hospital, and Thursday in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. The mobilization efforts aim to shed light on the challenges faced by healthcare workers and the potential consequences of the reform on the healthcare system.