MONTREAL - Quebec's medical residents could be going on strike on September 17 if their negotiations with the province continue to stall.
The residents have been without contract for a year and a half and they want Quebec to bridge the wage gap that sees them earn less than their counterparts elsewhere in Canada.
Teaching bonuses and schedles are also among the other issues on the table.
Charles Dussault, president of the Quebec Federation of Medical Residents (FMRQ) says that the government is trying to enforce work conditions rather than negotiate.
He says the residents have no other choice than to strike to makes its arguments heard. The residents stopped teaching medical students in July to make their case.
In the case of a strike, the residents would cover 90 percent of the care in most services, with the exception of intensive care and emergency units where they would provide 100 percent of services.
According to Dussault, the work slowdown of 10 percent should be enough to put pressure on a system already under significant stress.
There are 3,000 residents in Quebec who work in other 100 health institutions. Roughly two thirds are women and they require 17 years of schooling before being allowed to train. They work on an average of 72 hours a week and sometimes up to 100 hours per week, according to the FMRQ.
