The unions have called for a meeting with Treasury Board chairperson Sonia Label to find solutions to fill the thousands of vacancies in the Quebec public service that have been hit hard by labor shortages.
A few days before the Legault government’s next budget was presented, union representatives appeared before the media on Monday and shared their expectations.
They condemn the administration for spending “sudden extra time” on the state due to lack of adequate manpower.
“The list of job shortages in the public service is as long as your hand: psychologists, veterinarians, agronomists, researchers, architects, computer scientists and many more,” said Line Lamare, head of the Quebec Government Syndicate of Professionals and Specialists (SPGQ).
They say the list of consequences of this labor shortage is too long: computer change at risk, increased waiting time, risk to workers’ health and safety, especially among reform officials.
This is why they urgently call on teachers and health workers to reinvest in the working conditions of these employees in order to prevent them from leaving the private, federal and municipal areas.
“By 2021, 20 of us will have gone to another job and 20 will be retired. At this rate, we are sure that we will eventually have to put our name on the list of vulnerable and endangered species, ”said Martin Perrol, president of the Syndicate des Agent de la de Fine du Quebec (SAFPQ).
In their opinion, this reinvestment can be done at zero cost to the taxpayer. Today it would be enough for Quebec to convert about $ 1.5 billion invested in the subcontract into its public services.
“We are not saying we should remove the subcontract altogether, but we will only keep it in areas that have long-term plans that have been verified by the public service,” explained the general chairman of Quebec’s Public and Parabolic Services Union. (SFPQ), Christian Diegel.
In addition to SPGQ, SAFPQ and SFPQ, the Quebec Government Engineers Professional Association (APIGQ) and the Union of Peacekeepers in Quebec Correctional Services (SAPSCQ-CSN) were represented on Monday.
