FIQ nurses reject the tentative agreement with Quebec

Members of the union representing more than 80,000 health workers in Quebec have flatly rejected a tentative collective agreement with the province that was approved by the leadership of the labor group.

The interprofessional federation de la santé du Quebec, known as the FIQ, said Saturday that 61 percent of its members who participated in an online election voted against the deal. The poll, which ended at midnight on Friday, had a 77 percent turnout.

FIQ president Julie Bouchard said at a press conference in Montreal that she was disappointed by the results, but said she was ready to return to the bargaining table and advance the interests of union members.

“I'm disappointed because when we have the basic agreement in hand and we present it … it's because we believe in it,” he told reporters. “We're rolling up our sleeves, and we're going to continue this fight until something happens that makes a difference for them.”

He said the union, whose members include nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists — technicians who operate blood pumps during cardiac surgery — will next meet with local representatives to understand the flaws in the agreement.

The proposed deal would increase total wages by at least 17.4 percent over five years; new premiums for evening, night and weekend work; greater flexibility for employees to manage their schedules; Among dozens of other measures, changes were made to vacation accrual and seniority recognition.

MARCH: FIQ union delegates vote in favor of deal with Quebec

The rejection of the deal follows 15 months of negotiations between the FIQ and the provincial government and an eight-day strike by union members last fall. On Saturday, Bouchard did not rule out additional pressure tactics, but said the focus was now on negotiations.

Reacting to the deal's failure, Sonia LeBel, president of the Quebec Treasury Board, wrote on Twitter earlier that the government would meet with the union to better understand the failure. However, he said the province will continue to seek flexibility from FIQ members.

Quebec has settled a number of labor disputes with several other public sector unions in recent months. In February, members of a group of unions representing 420,000 education and health workers approved a deal that included a 17.4 percent pay increase.