The umbrella group which represents Quebec's nurses has broken off contract negotiations with the provincial government.
The Federation Interprofessionnelle de la sante (FIQ) is demanding a shorter work week, and an end to mandatory overtime.
Last week nurses at a south shore hospital staged a sit-in to protest being forced to work long hours.
The FIQ says many young nurses are leaving for other provinces or countries in search of better working conditions.
The government says the nurses's demands are too costly, and that it cannot afford the extra $2 billion.
For its part, the government is asking nurses for a reduction in the number of vacation days.
The FIQ says it will decide in the coming week what step to take next, although the 58,000 nurses represented by the group have already given union representatives a mandate to seek out mediation.
