Quebec unions file motions after some workers excluded from injury protection program

Students listen to their teacher in a Quebec classroom. (CTV News)

Six union organizations are filing motions with the Quebec Superior Court to challenge the exclusion of health, education and social services workers from a general workplace accident prevention program.

The Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) and Fédération Autonome de l’Enseignement (FAE) are filing separate petitions.

In addition, the APTS and FTQ are filing a joint petition.

This comes after Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet presented a sweeping reform of the occupational health and safety system in 2021.

However, in another bill, he excluded health, social services and education workers.

Last October, he explained that there was a difference in protection mechanisms and they had to be deployed “intelligently.”

“Deploying new mechanisms takes time, support and a lot of education,” he said.

Since the bill was introduced, unions and groups representing workers injured on the job have criticized protocols for workers in these sectors, pointing out that they discriminate against women, the primary workers in these sectors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 23.