MONTREAL -- Unions representing nurses and other medical staff don't know how employers will find staff to work overtime this summer, pointing out some of their members have not yet been paid a bonus that was promised to them for working last year.
The newspaper La Presse reported Tuesday that attendants, nurses, and nursing assistants have been waiting months for a bonus for agreeing to work overtime. The extra pay was a way to cope with a labour shortage that was more pronounced during the summer.
These health care workers promised an additional $75 for each shift completed during a certain period.
The president of the CSQ union, Sonia Ethier, noted that as soon as this bonus announcement was made, her unions had rebelled. They saw it as a way to tell health care workers not to rest, to work non-stop, and that in return they would receive a premium.
It would be better to improve working conditions, argued Mrs. Éthier.
The president of the FTQ, Daniel Boyer, wished good luck to employers in the health sector to find workers ready to work overtime next summer, since they have still not received the promised top-up.
