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Québec City – The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) is presenting its brief today as Bill 100 is reviewed at the National Assembly. The union reasserted its commitment to work collaboratively to modernize the public sector bargaining process. It also emphasized the importance of establishing a framework that respects the principles of union democracy, the specific characteristics of each region, and the professional realities of each environment.

“We recognize the importance of modernizing the bargaining process that shapes the working conditions of over 600,000 people in Québec,” said APTS president Robert Comeau. “But the modernizing process itself has to be rigorous and transparent, and it has to be carried out in a genuine spirit of partnership with labour organizations.”

For the APTS, which is the chief representative of professionals and technicians in the public system, the reform must consider the needs of a wide range of occupations and fully acknowledge regional realities to provide solutions that are adapted to the many different settings within the health and social services system.

“What works in Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal isn’t necessarily appropriate for Sept-Îles or Rouyn-Noranda,” Robert Comeau said. “What makes sense for home care may not work for medical imaging. We have to maintain the option of developing special agreements to meet local needs, and the government has to develop concrete ways to ensure that no job title or area of practice is neglected by the employer during the bargaining process.”

Centralization, special agreements and seniority: the devil is in the details

The APTS emphasized the importance of formally consulting labour unions about decisions with a significant impact, such as how matters are assigned to each bargaining level or how a sectoral bargaining party is appointed.

It also raised concerns about centralizing several areas previously negotiated locally and believes that the bill must provide concrete mechanisms to ensure these agreements run smoothly, including a mediation and arbitration process.

Finally, the APTS deplores that the government chose a legislative route as the framework for the transfer of seniority, a central working condition in collective agreements: “We support the mobility this measure would enable, particularly to bring reinforcements to regions that are struggling,” Robert Comeau said. “But that should be discussed at the bargaining table, not in the red room of the National Assembly. The government is preparing to enshrine in law a fundamental principle in labour relations without having clarified the guidelines with labour organizations. To avoid legal uncertainty and disputes, we need to let the negotiating parties agree on the terms.”

In its brief, the APTS makes a number of recommendations to improve the bill, including:

·        guaranteeing the ability to negotiate certain working conditions locally, with effective mechanisms for settling disputes (e.g.: mediation and arbitration);

·        providing a clear framework for the transfer of seniority in the public system;

·        enabling better representation of different job titles, based on their specific realities.

The APTS is once again reaching out to government and is prepared to help develop a fair and effective bargaining process for the future of public services.

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 65,000 members who play a key role in ensuring that health and social services institutions run smoothly. Our members provide a wide range of services for all Quebecers, including diagnostic, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support, and prevention services.