Quebec paramedics say they are ‘light years’ away from an adequate salary

His union argues that the work of paramedics is undervalued given the necessary training, responsibility and professional judgment involved.

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As Quebec ambulance technicians are asked to lend a hand in understaffed hospitals and long-term care homes (CHSLDs), the union that represents them says they are “light years” away from a salary that reflects the scope of your contribution to the health sector.

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The Fraternité des Travailleurs du Préhospitalier du Québec, part of the Syndicat canadienne de la function publique (CUFP), represents 900 Quebec paramedics working outside of Montreal and Laval.

Contract negotiations with the province are ongoing, but both parties are extremely divided on the salary issue, union vice president David Gagnon said.

The union is not only seeking pay increases, but a restructuring of the pay scale, arguing that its work is undervalued given the necessary training required and the levels of responsibility and professional judgment involved.

Aside from salary, “the rest is almost gone,” Gagnon said.

The job responsibilities of paramedics increased when Quebec announced that they would be called to help in hospitals and CHSLD. Far from complaining, ambulance techs said they have been asking for such involvement for years, feeling their skills are underutilized.

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“We are happy to see our practice field expanded,” Gagnon said. “But it was done by government decree, without negotiation and without compensation. That bothers us a bit. “

A spokesman for the Quebec Treasury Board said the government’s desire was to reach a contractual agreement as quickly as possible.

For now, the union is calling for a “visibility campaign” to move the negotiations forward. However, Gagnon said that mounting pressure on ambulance companies and the Treasury Board, which provides them with funding, is not out of the question, and that pressure could include a strike.

“We are an organization that is used to moving quickly,” he said, “so we are able to quickly obtain a strike mandate from our locals. If we have to move, we will not hesitate to do so. “