Sante Quebec extends transition period for dual-job health care workers

The CEO of Santé Québec, Geneviève Biron, meets the media after her appointment by the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, standing beside her on Monday April 29, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

Facing criticism for requiring health care workers with two jobs within the public system to choose one to comply with labour laws, Santé Québec has announced a one-year extension to the transition period.

Initially, the 1,307 employees affected by the measure—those whose combined working hours exceed 40 hours per week—had until Dec. 1 to decide which job to keep. That date coincides with the rollout of the province's health care overhaul.

The Act respecting labour standards in Quebec prohibits employees from working more than 40 hours a week.

“I made a commitment to avoid one-size-fits-all solutions,” said Geneviève Biron, President and CEO of Santé Québec, in a press release.

“In the last few days, I've heard the outcry from a number of employees in dual employment situations. I want us to take the time to support them and find solutions that will benefit both users and staff.”

As part of the health care restructuring, all establishments in the system will come under the control of Santé Québec, meaning employees with jobs at two establishments will now have a single employer.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé, who created the new agency, said he would ensure “the best possible transition” for affected employees but noted they still needed to make a decision by Dec. 1.

The Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN), Quebec’s largest union in the health and social services sector, with over 120 000 members, welcomed the extension.

“For us, this is good news for our members and the workers,” said FSSS-CSN President Réjean Leclerc in a recent interview. “We believe it was the right decision to give people time to adjust, to organize their lives and absorb this change financially.

“That said, we're disappointed because all of this could have been avoided. We raised this issue with Santé Québec on Oct. 29, and even at the time of the law’s enactment, the current situation was foreseeable.”

He added that the situation might have been averted if the government had consulted with the union to develop a joint transition plan, stressing that the lack of consultation has caused significant anxiety and concern among workers.

“We are grateful to these employees for their contribution and wish to take the time to support them,” Santé Québec said in a press release.

“Given the current labour shortage and high demand for services, this transition period will enable the employees concerned to continue providing services to users and reduce the pressure on staff. Santé Québec will work with its union partners to find ways of accommodating these employees.”

The union also called on the government to ensure health care services are not reduced as a result of the transition.

“We want Santé Québec to make a commitment to protect the hours that will eventually be lost when people choose one of the two jobs. We want those hours to be protected to ensure service and care for the public,” Leclerc said.

Leclerc emphasized that the union is ready to sit down and work with the government to implement consistent and coherent measures that will strengthen the public sector.

With files from the Canadian Press