Emergency medical responders in Montreal, Quebec City, Eastern Townships set to strike on Saturday
Emergency medical responders in Montreal, the Eastern Townships and Quebec City are set to go on strike this weekend as negotiations have been unsuccessful in reaching a new collective agreement.
The workers have been without an agreement since March 31, 2020 and now the union is ramping up pressure tactics.
In Montreal, Urgences-santé medical responders, or répondants médicaux d'urgence (RMU) in French — who take potentially life-saving calls and provide first-aid via telephone ahead of the arrival of first responders — as well as administrative staff are set to begin a strike at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Medical responders at the Centre de Communication Santé des Capitales and the Centre de santé communautaire de l'Estrie are also set to begin strike action on Saturday.
Union negotiations are focusing mostly on pay raises and other measures to attract and retain staff in health communication centres. The Syndicat des employé-es d'Urgences-santé-CSN said in a news release that it's been difficult to find enough staff to fill positions in the centres.
"We are really at the end of our rope," said Anick Bélanger, president of the Urgences-santé union, in the release.
"We must take concrete action now to make employment at RMU more attractive and more interesting. Unfortunately, it seems that for the Treasury Board, the Department of Health and Social Services and our employers, we have to go on strike if we want to be taken seriously."
During the strike mandate, the Administrative Labour Tribunal is satisfied that essential services will still be provided, however, workers will stop doing certain tasks, including the completion of certain documents and the use of certain communication protocols.
"The RMUs and administrative staff play a crucial role in the chain of pre-hospital emergency services," added CSN President Caroline Senneville in the communiqué. "The entire CSN stands by their side to demand fair recognition of their indispensable work. The quality of services to the population depends on it."
Clarification: An earlier version of this story, published by The Canadian Press, incorrectly stated that Urgences-santé workers in Quebec City and the Eastern Townships were set to go on strike. In fact, it's the emergency medical responders in those regions who are going to be on strike.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.