Overtime: a record year for nurses in the Mauricie region

Jonathan Roberge

Wednesday, 28 march, 2018 18:29

UPDATE
Wednesday, 28 march, 2018 18:33

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THREE-RIVERS | financial year which will end on Saturday will be marked by a record with respect to overtime paid by the integrated Center for academic health and social services (CIUSSS) of the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec.

“Day after day, it is additional time and additional time required,” said Nathalie Perron, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ).

For the past three years, the additional time continues to increase for the hospital staff.

During the financial year running from 1 April 2015 to 31 march 2016, the CIUSSS Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec was paid 161 274 hours of overtime to its nurses.

A number that had increased to 179 695 hours for the same period in 2016-2017.

According to data obtained by the law of access to information, we can expect a record of 221 218 hours of overtime paid for the current year.

“People are exhausted, there are more and more cases of salary insurance. It is necessary to launch concrete actions and the minister should understand it!” according to Ms. Perron.

Not better for the employees

Four times during the year 2017, the nurses of the region have collectively worked more than 18,000 hours over the course of the same month.

The situation is not so much attractive among the orderlies, for which the number of overtime hours has risen from 80 000 hours in just two years.

A budget tièdement welcomed

The budget of the provincial government filed Tuesday, provides for an additional envelope of $ 372 million for the health network.

“We got to cut $ 44 million in recent years in Mauricie. They take us $ 1 and, today, we give back 50 cents, and we should be happy?” pestered Pascal Bastarache of the CSN.

The budget of the ministry of Health increases to approximately 4.6% this year. The problem, according to the FIQ, is that the operating costs are also increasing.

“Wages are increasing and the equipment too. It does not really let a lot of new money to bring concrete solutions and to hire,” said Ms. Perron.

The region currently has over 3500 nurses and 2400 orderlies.