Brutal demonstration by FIQ in front of Minister Dube’s offices

A few thousand nurses gave the Minister of Health a taste of Halloween by organizing a “fright parade” in front of his offices in La Prairie on Monday evening.

The demonstration, organized by the Professional Federation of Health (FIQ), began at the Parc des Jésuites, on Boulevard Taschereau, which was closed for the occasion between Rue Matte and Rue de la Levée. The participants then headed towards Christian Dube’s office, which is located a few steps from the park.

“If our working conditions were not better, no one would stay in the health field. “We are hitting a wall,” one protester shouted in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.

People on site explained that they were there to seek better salary increases than those proposed, but also to oppose the government’s desire to be able to move employees more easily from one organization to another, according to their needs. The union fears that this desire will relegate the seniority, preferences and skills of nurses to second place.

“The government is on the wrong track. We have been telling him for months. But he refuses to listen to us. What the government is proposing will deteriorate care for the population because healthcare professionals will all run to Exit door”.

FIQ members voted 95% last week in favor of a strike that may be limited. They will begin a two-day strike on November 8 and 9.

Under the Labor Court ruling, nurses, despite their strike, must provide normal service in emergency and intensive care departments. Other departments will have to work, in part, without their presence. Consequently, only 70% of the scheduled hours will be provided in operating rooms (80% after six days of strike), while 85% of the service will now be in care units such as pediatrics, dialysis or radiation oncology.

FIQ represents approximately 80,000 nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists.