Overtime: the Tribunal will hear FIQ and the Council for the protection of the sick

One of the demonstrations held by FIQ members on Sept. 6, 2023 in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press). The Administrative Labour Tribunal will hear the parties regarding the FIQ's request that its members refuse to work overtime as of Sept. 19.

The Administrative Labour Tribunal will hold a hearing regarding the FIQ’s request for its members to refuse to work overtime starting on Sept. 19.

The case was brought before the Tribunal following a request from the Council for the Protection of Patients, which expressed concern about the potential impact this pressure tactic by the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé members could have on patients.

In his request, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press, the Council’s president, Paul Brunet, stated that “while the FIQ obviously has the right to exercise various legal means to make its case to the employer, these means must not be practiced illegally, at the expense of patients, and even less so by violating the constitutional right to life and care that users of the health network in Quebec and Canada enjoy.”

There will first be a conciliation session between the parties on Sept. 11 in Quebec City, followed, if necessary, by a formal hearing before the Administrative Labour Tribunal.

As part of its long-standing negotiations for the renewal of its collective agreement with Quebec, the FIQ had announced at the end of August that it would ask its members to refuse to work overtime starting on Sept. 19.

Since then, conciliation has resumed between the Treasury Board and the FIQ, raising hope on both sides.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 6 day, 2024.