Higher pay for Outaouais nurses encouraging: union

Nurses in western Quebec say they're encouraged by the provincial government's promise of a pay increase in an effort to entice them to stay in the area.

For years, they've been lured to higher-paying jobs in nearby Ottawa, leading to a chronic shortage that Health Minister Philippe Couillardsaid his government is taking measures to address.

Elizabeth Leduc, president of the Outaouais nurses' union, praised the initiative on Tuesday. "It's not the first time we tried to negotiate something to help us keep afloat," she said. "But the other times … there was never any financial help to come with that."

The union estimates that there are 275 unfilled vacancies for nurses and 122 vacancies for auxiliary nurses in the Outaouais region, and it blames this on the availability of better-paid jobs at hospitals in Ottawa, such as the francophone Montfort.

Leduc said she understands thatnurses in other regions might not immediately support higher pay for Outaouais nurses.

"But the Outaouais region, whether we like it or not … is different," she said.

To be effective, the government's new plan will have to include smaller hospitals and clinics throughout the region and not just the big ones in Hull and Gatineau, Leduc added.