Uncertainty and Confusion for Health Care Workers on the West Island

MONTREAL, July 2, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Anger is rising among administrative personnel at CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île, formerly the CSSS-Dorval-Lachine-Lasalle, the Douglas University Mental Health Institute and Grace Dart Extended Care Centre, represented by the Syndicat québécois des employées et employés de service, section locale 298 (FTQ).

Because of the merger, these workers will be moving, and some of them will be changing jobs. The new head office and the major reforms under way could substantially change the way they work.

For example, management at the establishment has already announced that positions will be cut in order to make way for new positions aimed at supporting members of the new administration.

"Our jobs are going to change. We know that many of us will be working somewhere else, but we don't know what to expect. We assist the health care teams, the administration and patients, but we're treated like second-class employees. Confusion reigns, and no one can answer our questions," said Johanne Fontaine, president of the local union at CSSS Dorval-Lachine-Lasalle.

Having the head office of the CIUSSS in Pointe-Claire will complicate the lives of those who now work in Lachine, Lasalle and Saint-Henri, for example.

"Some people are considering early retirement given the uncertainty of the current reforms. We wonder whether the mergers in the health care system are intended to streamline the system or merely save money. How can you restructure health care services without consulting administrative staff?" added Lionette Joseph, president of the local union at Grace Dart Extended Care Centre.

"We're asking the administration at CIUSSS to answer our questions and share their plans for administrative personnel. We're asking for a minimum of respect and consideration in the free-for-all caused by the merger of the establishments," said Chantal Boisselle, president of the local union of the Douglas University Mental Health Institute.

The SQEES-298 (FTQ) represents 25 000 members throughout Quebec, most of them in the health and social services sector. It is affiliated with the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, the largest union central in Quebec, with more than 600 000 members.

SOURCE Syndicat québécois des employées et employés de service, section locale 298 (FTQ)

Mélanie Malenfant, Communications and Project Development Consultant, SQEES-298 (FTQ), 514-210-8451