Current issues

We’re excited to begin the next stage of our political campaign on the theme A strong union for a strong public system. The APTS is calling on elected representatives and senior managers of health and social service institutions to design bold policies that will provide Quebecers with public services that are accessible, inclusive, and based on equality.

Consult this page to see how contract talks for your 2023 collective agreement are progressing. Negotiations are just getting underway, and this page will be updated regularly. You’ll find everything you need – tracts, videoclips and e-newsletters – to get an accurate picture of the national bargaining issues. The APTS is staunchly committed to improving your working conditions in this new round of bargaining so that you can take care of yourselves and your loved ones. That’s our end goal, and we won’t back down!

Feminist resistance 

A protest song, a battle call, chanted by our mothers, our grandmothers, our sisters and our allies, shouted in the streets, plastered on the walls, murmured in private, touching us to the core. Words welded in our diversity, fuelled by our outrage, spurred by our sisterhood. Now is not a time for division, negotiation or silence. Now is a critical time: of climate crisis, polarization, privatization, erosion of women’s rights, escalation of violence against us, deepening inequalities, rising racism, unbridled sexism and hatred. Our oath is manifest. Love is an act of resistance.

It’s been a year and a half since the Laurent Commission report was tabled and we still haven't seen any improvement in conditions of practice at youth centres. Waiting lists are getting longer, wait times are interminable, and working conditions remain gruelling. Overwhelmed by crushing workloads, youth workers in youth protection and rehabilitation centres are sending distress call: "Are you ever going to help me?"
 
 

The government is making a pretense of dealing with the mental health crisis

The Québec Program for Mental Disorders (Programme québécois pour les troubles mentaux - PQPTM) was introduced in 2018 with the aim of improving access to psychotherapy. The PQPTM is a standardized stepped-care model of care, ranging in the intensity of treatment from self-care, continuous monitoring and support groups to psychotherapy. The program is being implemented gradually and the government plans to roll it out to all institutions in the health and social services sector. However, questions are being raised about its effectiveness and its limitations. A survey of 3,000 APTS members practising in the field of mental health (more than 700 of whom are already working with the PQPTM) suggests that the program is actually likely to be detrimental to the treatment of various mental health disorders.

You didn’t receive a retroactive QPIP adjustment? Read this:

The APTS was incensed at the claim that the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) is unable to pay employees the benefits owed to them, taking into account the retroactive salary paid when the collective agreement was renewed, and the pay equity complaints settlements. The QPIP rules don’t allow for benefits to be recalculated if the recipient’s file is no long active – which means that thousands of you are affected, and the vast majority are women. In our view, this situation is clearly discriminatory. The APTS decided to document this issue so we can contest the QPIP rules and get them changed.

With more than 65,000 members in all sectors of our health and social services system across the province, and with an exclusive focus on professionals and technicians in Class 4 personnel, the APTS shares your values and reflects who you are – professional, rigorous and efficient.

Updated on February 9, 2022

Since January 16, the government has introduced measures to recognize the work of technicians and professionals in the health and social services system, who have been grappling with major work overload. These enhanced measures echo the repeated demands made by the APTS and the coalition of healthcare unions to which we belong. To stay posted on the pay incentives, support measures and health and safety programs that you’re entitled to during the pandemic, we invite you to check in regularly to this webpage.

BlueAPTS reflects the vibrant humanity of the 60,000 APTS professionals and technicians working in health and social services. Our online magazine is a great way to discover our members’ reality.

The APTS represents the overwhelming majority of workers providing youth services. For years, spokespersons for these 10,000 employees have been denouncing their work overload and the poor management practices that make it extraordinarily difficult for them to carry out their mission. In May 2020, the APTS spoke out on behalf of youth workers before the special commission on the rights of children and youth protection.

In the Québec public sector, does everyone get equal pay? A study from IRIS (Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques) provides conclusive evidence that this is not the case. If the public sector is viewed as an extended family, public services – which include the civil service, education, and health and social services – are definitely the poor cousin, as becomes apparent when we compare the sector’s various branches.