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Quebec nurses cannot pressure province by refusing overtime, labour tribunal rules

Click to play video: 'Quebec hospital using virtual reality to help with nurse shortage'
Quebec hospital using virtual reality to help with nurse shortage
RELATED - It's no secret that Quebec has a massive shortage of nurses which creates chaos in the healthcare system and leaves overcrowded ERs scrambling. One Quebec hospital is trying something new. As Gloria Henriquez reports, it's using virtual reality to overcome those shortages and improve access to care — all with the help of nurses dozens of kilometres away – Jun 20, 2024

Quebec’s labour tribunal has stymied the latest negotiation tactic of a union representing most of the province’s nurses.

Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec had threatened that its members would stop accepting to work overtime starting Thursday, potentially throwing the health network into chaos.

But the Tribunal administratif du travail says nurses are not allowed to refuse overtime because that would seriously jeopardize services to which Quebecers “have a right.”

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The FIQ, whose members have been without a contract for more than 500 days, still holds a strike mandate that members can exercise — without putting at risk essential services.

Meanwhile, negotiations between union representatives and the government are being assisted by a conciliator, who submitted on Sunday a proposal to be presented to members.

Last spring, members voted 61 per cent against a deal, which had been accepted by most of the other major unions that had been on strike in 2023.

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