Paramedics reach agreement in principle with Quebec government

by


The union representing the 3,000 workers will be given time to present the offer to its members before making public the details of the deal.

Paramedics and first responders protest against lagging contract talks in front of the premier's office on March 31, 2022, in Montreal.
Paramedics and first responders protest against lagging contract talks in front of the premier’s office on March 31, 2022, in Montreal. Photo by Ryan Remiorz /THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Fédération de la Santé et des Services sociaux (FSSS), representing more than 3,000 paramedics, has managed to reach an agreement in principle with the Quebec government.

Sonia LeBel, minister responsible for governmental administration and president of the treasury board, and Christian Dubé, minister of health and social services, made the announcement Saturday in a statement.

According to the government, the agreement will allow “an improvement in the remuneration and work conditions of the most important group of ambulance workers in Quebec, but also help improve accessibility to front-line services for the population.”

The FSSS, an affiliate of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), had not yet made an announcement about the agreement, Saturday evening. The government indicated it would give “the necessary time to the FSSS-CSN to present the offer to its members before making public the details of the agreement.”

The paramedics had been without a collective agreement since April 1, 2020. In January, the FSSS-CSN had requested the intervention of a mediator in their negotiations, saying they were at “an impasse” in talks with the government.

The strike, which concerned several municipalities since last summer, had spread to other unions in February. Pressure tactics involved billing forms that paramedics fill out and give to their employer. The public had been minimally affected by the strikes, given the vast amount of essential services that must be maintained.

The paramedics affiliated with the FSSS-CSN had also demonstrated in front of the SAQ’s distribution centers in Montreal and Quebec on Feb. 25.

Among other issues, the negotiations had to do with salaries, schedules of dissenters opposed to the fact a paramedic must be on call 24 hours a day for seven days, meal times and mental health.


Leave a Comment