Representatives of one of Quebec's largest health-care unions (FIQ) were called "sell-outs" by some of their members and asked if they took bribes to get the tentative collective agreement renewal accepted after Quebec announced that it was ready to spend $1 billion on measures to bring nurses back into the public network.

Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé (FIQ) vice-president Patrick Guay said this in testimony before the Administrative Labour Tribunal on Thursday.

The Tribunal is hearing the FIQ's complaint, which alleges interference in union activities and bad faith bargaining on the part of the Quebec government, because of Ministerial Order 071. The order provided for various measures to bring back full-time nurses to the public network, including $15,000-bonuses.

The FIQ is also basing its complaints on statements made by Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé, which have damaged the credibility of the union organization, and have "weakened" and even "shaken it," according to former FIQ interim president Nathalie Lévesque.

The attraction and retention bonuses were not negotiated. The FIQ learned about them at a Quebec government news conference in the fall of 2021. Yet it had just reached an agreement with Quebec on the renewal of its collective agreement.

EMPTIED THE BAG

Two FIQ witnesses said that when the tentative agreement was finally reached with Quebec, after months of negotiation, they were told that there was no more money in the coffers, that the FIQ had "emptied the bag."

The FIQ representatives said they reported this government statement to their members when they had to vote on this agreement in principle.

However, it was in the weeks that followed that Quebec announced, at a news conference, that it was ready to devote $1 billion to various measures to bring nurses back into the public network.

"FIQ representatives were then harshly criticized by local unions and members," said Guay. "They were criticized for not having gone after the extra billion dollars during the negotiation of the collective agreement."

What's more, Dubé made matters worse by saying at a news conference that the reason there wasn't much interest in these bonuses was because the FIQ was telling its members not to sign anything.

The minister also stated that the FIQ was demanding the $15,000 premiums for union delegates, even before discussing premiums for nurses in the field.

The loss of FIQ credibility was "enormous," said Guay.

"The information that was now being given to members was being questioned," said Lévesque. "A climate of distrust was created at all levels of the organization."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 24, 2022.