Union members ratify historic agreement at Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic

December 01, 2022

Montréal  – The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) is pleased with the agreement in principle ratified yesterday at a special general assembly by members employed by the Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic, as part of contract talks leading to the signing of the collective agreement.

At a time when the health and social service system is experiencing widespread labour shortages, the APTS wants to highlight the major gains achieved by its local team in Pointe-Saint-Charles.

In recent  years, salary conditions for employees at the Clinic have been inferior to those of their coworkers in the health and social service system, and both the APTS and the clinic’s local executive have condemned the situation.

“We’re proud of the fact that our members are finally being paid for the true value of their work,” says Daniel Dubé, APTS provincial representative for the Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic and the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. “This catch-up increase will have a major positive effect in both human and financial terms. It will boost our team’s morale, and thanks to the improvements that it will usher in over the next weeks, we’ll be in a better position to deliver services to citizens whose precarious living conditions often put their health at risk. Our members love their jobs, they’re happy to care for the people who come to the Clinic, and we’re finally ensuring employment conditions that will allow them to do their job with complete peace of mind, knowing that they’re respected.”

The Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic is a non-profit community organization under agreement to deliver services as a CLSC, in terms defined in the Act respecting health services and social services. According to the Clinic’s mandate, “Community residents are responsible for making decisions about the Clinic’s policies and services and ensuring that the Clinic meets the neighbourhood’s health and social service needs.” The Clinic’s citizen management approach reflects the vision and values promoted by Pointe-Saint-Charles residents. The Clinic’s mandate also states that its policies “are driven by a central conviction: access to free, universal and public health and social services is an essential social right and it is non-negotiable.”

“This victory is good news for our members, for our local union executive, for the APTS overall, and for residents of Montréal’s Southwest,” says APTS president Robert Comeau. “The last round of bargaining talks has led to an outcome where acute difficulties in retaining and attracting employees are now being addressed. I’m very proud of our team’s work, and I’m delighted that APTS members at the Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic are finally getting what is rightfully theirs: parity with their coworkers, and working conditions in keeping with the standards of the health and social service system. Still, we shouldn’t forget that conditions remain very difficult. The next round of contract talks will be crucial in getting better working conditions for all APTS members in the health and social service system – meaning better working conditions for employees at the Pointe-Saint-Charles clinic and throughout Québec.”

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.