Unions urge Quebec government to find long-term solutions for workers

Quebec unions and labour organizations urged Finance Minister Eric Girard to prioritize the government's "core missions" over its financial objectives during pre-budget consultations on Monday.

"The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how fragile the health network was, due to a lack of personnel, aggravated by years of budgetary restrictions," the FTQ, the CSN, the CSQ and the CSD said in their joint release about the meeting with Girard.

"The education network has also been shaken, because it too is understaffed and has suffered the consequences of outdated, poorly equipped, poorly ventilated schools," said Centrale des syndicats du Québec president Éric Gingras, in an interview Monday.

Beyond the temporary bonuses that Quebec unilaterally decided to give to compensate for the urgent lack of workers during the pandemic, the four central unions are calling for a real "social dialogue" to find ways to attract and retain staff.

"And no, it's not just about wages. It also means better working conditions and recognition of staff in health, education and child care," said Gingras.

"In the last few years, we have put in place, in different places, some sort of 'band-aids' to solve short-term problems of shortage, attraction and retention of workers," he said.

"This is true in the public services; it is also true in the private sector. Now we have to make it permanent with a plan for the next few years."

In the private sector, Minister of Labour Jean Boulet introduced a range of programs to help workers and businesses in sectors such as construction, information technology, digital and green transition.

Several measures concern work-study, training and retraining.

But the unions add that other industries were hit hard by the pandemic and are still suffering, citing the hotel industry, culture, transportation and restaurants.

The four organizations also want the government to put the pedal to the metal on the payment of sums to the Generations Fund, as well as on the comparisons regarding the wealth gap with Ontario.

"Since Quebec's public finances have improved significantly in recent years and the recovery will depend essentially on fiscal and budgetary policies, the government must not hesitate to take on more debt, if necessary, in order to get out of the crisis, finance the economic recovery and avoid a return to fiscal austerity," the FTQ, CSN, CSQ and CSD said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 14, 2022.