Quebec nurses set to vote on conciliator's proposal for new collective agreement

Members of Quebec’s largest nurses' union are preparing to vote on a conciliator’s recommendations, which could shape their new collective agreement if approved.

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) represents around 80,000 members, including nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists, and clinical perfusionists. Last year, the FIQ was part of a broader labour dispute involving several unions representing hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, leading to school closures and surgery delays.

The FIQ is now the only major union without a collective agreement, as theirs expired in March 2023.

Details of the proposed recommendations are available on the union’s website. Key points include a 17.4% total salary increase between the signing of a potential deal and April 2028. Additionally, members would receive a fifth week of vacation after 15 years of service—down from the previous requirement of 17 to 18 years.

Staff retention and the transfer of nurses between facilities to address shortages have been central issues in negotiations. The conciliator suggests that employees should not be required to travel more than 40 kilometers when reassigned to another health-care facility.

It’s important to note that the recommendations are not an agreement-in-principle. If members approve the proposal, it would become the new collective agreement. If rejected, both parties would return to the bargaining table.

This vote follows a previous agreement-in-principle reached last spring, which was ultimately rejected by 61% of the FIQ's members.