The Alliance of professional and technical staff for the health and social services (APTS) has put out a call to the provincial government for more protection for workers, many of whom work in close quarters with their clientele. “16 days! 16 days that professional and technical staff work without sanitary and protective equipment, and launch SOSs on all forums to ensure that institutions apply social distancing measures. From laboratories to home care, including youth centres and CHSLDs, our members are left to fend for themselves, sometimes confined to small spaces. We don’t send an army to the front without military protection. Why do we do it with people who work in an environment in direct contact with COVID-19? The government must take the necessary measures to protect our guardian angels, as they like to call them, by tomorrow, and this is non-negotiable,” said APTS President Andrée Poirier in a press release sent out Sunday afternoon.
According to the APTS, discussions began yesterday as part of the negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements in the public and parapublic sectors, to determine the measures to be taken to ensure the protection of technicians and professionals in the health and social services network (HSSN). For the APTS, the measures must be taken in accordance with the instructions of Public Health and not depend on a negotiation process in which the employer side seeks at all costs to minimize costs to the government.
“Who will be there to provide the care and services that the public needs if technicians and professionals become ill? Who will do the tests in the laboratories, the examinations in the medical imaging rooms? Who will care for vulnerable people or respond to their distress calls? At some point, the people at the negotiating table will have to realize the state of emergency Quebec is in. Enough of the childishness! The SSRHSS personnel have been putting their lives in danger for 16 days, it’s more than time to act,” continued Andrée Poirier.
The Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS) brings together and represents some 55,000 members who work in the health network’s institutions. The members offer a multitude of services in the areas of diagnosis, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support and prevention, all of which are intended for the entire population.
Health professionals and technical staff want more protection
Record Staff
