Nurses in Terrebonne are taking after Montreal police and swapping their uniforms for camouflage pants.
Some 300 nurses are protesting what they say has been months of forced overtime at Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital.
According to the union job cuts over the last year have led to repeated instances of staff members learning at the end of the work day that they are required to stay for another shift.
Hospital management say forced overtime is incredibly rare. It points out that about six percent of the total hours worked by nurses is overtime, which is in line with provincial averages.
The hospital also said that only one percent of hours is forced overtime.
The Federation of Quebec Nurses says it has seen a few cases of forced overtime, but not to the extent described by nurses at Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital.
"They are professional, they are good, they know what they are doing. After 16 hours there is risk for error with patients. There are concentration problems," said union representative Maryse Rousseau.
"It doesn't even consider the fact that they have a home, they have a family, they have children."
The union blames the Couillard government for a hiring freeze at the hospital.
Meanwhile the Regional Director said his objective is to have no forced overtime at all.
He has promised to hire 26 new nurses at Pierre-Le Gardeur in the next month -- and told the union that wearing camouflage pants is unacceptable and must be stopped.
Health Minister Gaetan Barrette was supposed to visit Le Gardeur Hospital Tuesday afternoon, but cancelled because of weather conditions.
