Nurses’ union reaches agreement with Quebec

MONTREAL – After a year of tough negotiations, Quebec’s largest nurses’ union reached an agreement in principle Saturday that gives those working shifts an annual increase of 3.45 per cent.

Nurses working regular day shifts in CLSCs and other institutions will receive a two-per-cent increase per year. The 58,000 members of the Fédération interprofessionelle de la santé du Québec also negotiated an increase of up to 14 per cent an hour for working night shifts or in departments with increased responsibility, such as critical care.

Union vice-president Michèle Boisclair said the 3.45-per-cent increase represents remuneration for the time nurses spend handing over patient information after their shift has ended.

“Time worked is supposed to be time paid and we’ve been fighting for that for 30 years,” she said.

The union credited Michelle Courchesne, who was named treasury board president in a summer cabinet shuffle, with having the “political will” to unblock the negotiations and reach a deal.

In Lévis, Health Minister Yves Bolduc noted that Premier Jean Charest and Courchesne were involved in the contract talks with the nurses, whom he called “our partners.”

“That was the basis of our discussions,” the minister said. “It’s going to help the nurses, it’s going to help the doctors, but mainly it’s going to help the patients.”

The agreement in principle will be presented to union delegates Thursday and Friday. Details of the deal will then be given to the nurses before a vote, although no one could say Sunday how soon that would happen.

The top salary for a registered nurse is $36 per hour.