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MONTRÉAL- "Unacceptable!" That's how Carolle Dubé, national president of the APTS, described the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal's decision to suspend the president of the local union executive, Léonie Blanchette, after the union filed a complaint denouncing the aggressive behaviour of a management representative.

"I've met many employers who are stubborn, arrogant and contemptuous. But senior managers of a CIUSSS suspending a union president after she engaged in union activities protected by our human rights charters and the Labour Code? That's unheard of! They crossed the line and they'll have to suffer the consequences," Carolle Dubé told unionized workers who gathered to support Léonie in front of the administrative pavilion of the Jewish General Hospital, which is part of the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal.

Following this decision by senior managers, the APTS filed two complaints with the TAT administrative labour tribunal under Sections 12 and 15 of the Labour Code, which protect employees' freedom of association and the right of their representatives to engage in union activities.

"This is a direct attack not only against an elected APTS representative, but also against the very spirit of what unions stand for. This suspension is a mean-spirited attempt to muzzle employees' voice. I want to warn the members of the Board of Directors that the CIUSSS is headed for a major setback before the labour administrative tribunal. They'd better know that when we're attacked, we strike back," declared Carolle Dubé.

This isn't the first time that management has been set straight by the courts, which recently forced it pay thousands of dollars in damages. And in the last local contract talks, the employer was more inclined to take the judicial course than to negotiate or engage in mediation. Not to mention the fact that management has refused to sit down with the APTS provincial representative to try to find a way through the current impasse.

"It appears that senior managers like to spend taxpayers' money on legal procedures. If those holding upper management positions in this CIUSSS have trouble sitting down with the people who've been democratically elected by members of a union, maybe the place for them is not at the helm of a public institution," concluded the APTS president.

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux) represents 55,000 members who play an indispensable role in ensuring that facilities in health and social services run properly. Our members provide a wide range of services for the population as a whole, including diagnostic services, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial services, clinical support and prevention services.