Quebec nurses camp out in front of National Assembly to pressure government into deal

A group of nurses is camping out, day and night, in front of the National Assembly in an attempt to pressure the Legault government into striking a deal with its union, which has been without a collective agreement for well over 500 days.

The union began camping out in front of the provincial legislature on Tuesday and plans to stay there until Thursday.

Protesting throughout the day, evening and night is meant to be a symbol of the round-the-clock nature of the union members' work. 

The protest coincides with the beginning of the National Assembly's fall session.

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) has a membership of about 80,000 and represents nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists. Last fall, it was among several unions representing hundreds of thousands of public sector workers involved in a large-scale labour dispute with the province that eventually shut down schools and delayed surgeries.

The FIQ is the only major union left without a collective agreement. It expired in March 2023.

"It's true, 500 days is a long time but we're hoping to come to an agreement," said Isabelle Trépanier, the FIQ's secretary general. 

In April of this year, the Quebec government and the union had an agreement in principle, but members rejected it.

Issues around staff retention and mobility are among the major sticking points in negotiations. 

Negotiations are stuck around the government's demand that nurses be moved from one health-care facility to another to address needs in the system where they arise.

But the FIQ disagrees with the proposal, saying it disregards nurses' expertise and treats them like interchangeable pawns.

Late last month, the union threatened to stop working overtime hours as of Sept. 19.