Montreal Gazette

Health workers need more than thanks

It’s essential for Quebec to do a better job of ensuring the safety of those on the front lines, Jeff Begley says.

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The workers we represent are those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For months, we have supported the thousands of beneficiar­y attendants, health and social services assistants, housekeepi­ng attendants, administra­tive officers and all health and social services network staff infected with the virus. It is our members who put their health at risk from the start. They do it because they are committed to taking care of the people of Quebec.

But why does the government insist on sending us to the front lines poorly equipped?

The thanks of Premier François Legault are not enough to protect the staff. Much more is needed to ensure our protection. The government, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) and the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) have been ignoring our repeated calls, with the result we are now experienci­ng. More than 13,600 health-care workers have been infected, some of whom have even lost their lives. As we represent the majority of them, we are aware of all the distress and stress they go through. We have also been there for the relatives, friends and families of infected and deceased workers.

We have been abandoned. The term is strong, but it represents the reality. Public health recommenda­tions, blindly followed by health institutio­ns, have failed to protect staff. And health care workers continue to be put at risk.

From the start of the pandemic, when there was uncertaint­y about how the virus was transmitte­d, we asked for protection against possible airborne transmissi­on, which we were denied. Transmissi­on of the virus by aerosols appears more and more likely. The World Health Organizati­on

has recognized this recently and much research is now pointing in this direction. How can we explain that our public health authority continues to recommend the wearing of masks, equipment as well as preventive procedures that do not protect against this mode of transmissi­on?

Faced with the employers’ refusal to change course, we ask the CNESST to apply the precaution­ary principle and force employers to increase protection measures at work. The consequenc­es of COVID-19 are very serious. It is now known that permanent lung, heart and neurologic­al damage is possible.

Everything must be done to avoid having to relive the disaster in the health system. With a second wave likely to be coming sooner rather than later, urgent action is needed. The government, the INSPQ and the CNESST will not be able to plead surprise, and must assume their responsibi­lities. To repeat the mistakes of the first wave is not an option.

So what are we waiting for to announce what will be done to better protect the workers who return to work each morning to treat the public? The government’s silence on this issue is cause for concern. The premier has been on every platform for months. Often, he has suggested that it’s our fault when things don’t go the way he wants them to. Rather than looking for culprits among those who take care of the public, the government should instead put its energies into ensuring our safety.

Quebecers and health care workers deserve better than what we experience­d during the first wave. We must do better, and for that, it is essential to listen to the concerns of workers on the front lines.

Jeff Begley is president of the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN). This article is co-signed by the presidents of 11 Csn-affiliated health care unions, including those representi­ng workers for the CIUSSS du Centre-ouest-de-l’île-demontréal, CIUSSS du Centre-sud-de-l’île-de-montréal, CIUSSS de l’est-de-l’île-de-montréal, CISSS de Laval and CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-montréal.

We have been abandoned. The term is strong, but it represents the reality.

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