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The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec, which represents more than 80,000 health-care workers including nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists, announced Tuesday it will submit a recommendation of a conciliator for a vote next month.
FIQ delegates considered the proposal Monday and Tuesday after a “last-ditch effort” intensive bargaining session on Sept. 4. After a failure to reach an agreement, the conciliator proposed his own offer to both parties. The delegates agreed to present the offer to members in a referendum, to be held from 8 p.m. Oct. 15 to 8 p.m. Oct. 17.
Members will be informed of the contents of the recommendation in general assemblies over the coming weeks.
Pressure tactics have been suspended until the referendum vote. The decision comes after Quebec’s labour tribunal ruled nurses can’t refuse overtime as a pressure tactic.
The FIQ is the last of the major unions not to reach a contract deal with the government. Health and education workers with the FTQ, CSN, CSQ, APTS, FAE, SPGQ and SFPQ have all ratified new contracts that include a 17.4 per cent pay increase over five years.
A previous contract offer with the FIQ was rejected by 61 per cent of members in April.
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