Health network employees are facing potential job cuts as Santé Québec prepares to reduce its budget by $1.5 billion, leading to a tense atmosphere among thousands of staff. While many positions affected are unfilled, critical roles in patient care are also at risk. Uncertainty surrounds the exact number of cuts, with unions warning of inevitable impacts on patient services, including significant losses in mental health professionals that will exacerbate waiting times and staffing shortages in various regions.
Health Network Employees Face Job Cuts Amid Uncertainty
For the past two months, thousands of employees within the health network have been engulfed in a climate of uncertainty, anxiously awaiting news regarding potential job cuts from Santé Québec. The exact number of positions slated for elimination remains unclear.
Jean-Sébastien Blais, the local president of the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ) in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, shares the heavy atmosphere: “The work environment is extremely tense; everyone is watching each other with concern. It’s catastrophic,” he admits.
Government Budget Cuts and Their Impact
On January 28, the newly established agency, Santé Québec, pledged to deliver a comprehensive overview of the impending cuts within the health network. However, a month later, critical information is still pending.
These job reductions are part of a broader initiative where the government aims to save $1.5 billion from the health sector budget. While many of the positions being eliminated are currently unfilled, some directly affect employees who provide vital patient care. The government encourages those whose roles are cut to transition into positions that address higher needs.
Determining who is ultimately responsible for the cuts remains elusive, as both management and Santé Québec seem to be in a state of confusion. In Montérégie-Ouest, the FIQ union revealed that around 160 positions might be at risk at the CISSS, yet management claims they are awaiting further clarity from Santé Québec.
“Every day, we face new developments,” laments Julie Bouchard, president of the FIQ. “The inconsistency in decision-making is astounding, and it seems like announcements are made without proper workforce assessment or consideration of client impact.”
Robert Comeau, president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Staff in Health and Social Services (APTS), warns that the consequences for patients are “inevitable and imminent.” Specific regions, such as Chaudière-Appalaches, are set to lose essential mental health professionals, which will negatively affect services for at-risk youth, leading to longer waiting lists.
In the North Shore area, where staffing shortages are already an issue, the union reports that 75 full-time roles are being eliminated in favor of part-time positions. The FIQ stresses that one job loss can trigger a cascading effect, potentially impacting up to 10 employees as they navigate the reapplication process for available positions.
“It’s a domino effect,” emphasizes Blais. “The more seniority an employee has, the longer the chain reaction.” As uncertainty looms, employees are left questioning the future of their work environment.
Upcoming cuts across various establishments include:
- Abitibi-Témiscamingue: 40 positions in CHSLD
- Chaudière-Appalaches: 122 positions, including 13 managers and various mental health professionals
- Côte-Nord: 75 full-time positions replaced with part-time roles
- Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec: three occupational therapist positions supporting seniors
- East of the Island of Montreal: 30 positions
- West of the Island of Montreal: 246 positions eliminated in administrative and IT staff
- North of the Island of Montreal: contingency plans leaving one nurse to care for 100 to 150 patients in CHSLD
- Montérégie-Ouest: 160 positions
- Montreal University Hospital Center (CHUM): 134 positions
- McGill University Health Centre (CUSM): six positions in medical imaging
- Laval: 50 positions
Data provided by unions and local CISSS organizations may be subject to change by March 1, adding to the ongoing uncertainty faced by health network employees.