Judge orders Urgences-Sante managers to fulfill paramedic roles amid ongoing strike

Montreal -

Dozens of Urgences-Sante managers have been ordered by a Quebec judge to work paramedic shifts in order to allow unionized workers to continue striking, and to “maintain essential services,” according to a prominent healthcare union.

Approximately 35 managers will have to work at least four hours as a paramedic per week, several of whom  began their first shifts at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Only managers with sufficient training are being compelled to work. 

About 1,000 Health and Social Service Union (FSSS-CSN) paramedics have been on strike for months demanding more predictable schedules and reduced periods of “on-call” availability, according to the union.

Strikers are also asking for salary adjustments in line with other health-care jobs in the province. On March 31, 2022, the union will mark two years without a collective agreement.

A union press release suggested more than 50 per cent of working paramedics had “taken steps to reorient their careers,” and that work conditions had undermined staff retention.

“I hope that the management staff, and that the whole population, will realize that we are not fighting just for us, but rather to provide better services and that they are always accessible when necessary,” said interim union president Claude Lamarche in a Sunday press release.

“We are all passionate about our work. It is the most beautiful profession in the world. We do not accept the lack of respect from the government,” he continued. “It'll take as long as it takes, but we're going to get that respect.”

A corporate spokesperson for Urgences-Sante told CTV the ruling will make manager's jobs even more complicated on top of an already hightened workload since the strike began. 

"It's clear that it will have an impact on managers," said Jean-Pierre Rouleau. They're "also tired, they also worked through the pandemic, which has been a difficult period."