Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, committee members.
I want to thank you on behalf of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, or the FTQ, for giving me the opportunity to speak about the important issues raised by the committee's current study.
The FTQ represents approximately 600,000 members in Quebec, from both the public and private sectors. It represents thousands of workers, including workers in the health care, social affairs and education sectors. The COVID‑19 pandemic and the rapid spread of the virus caught our institutions off guard in the first hours and weeks. No one anticipated the extent of the resulting emergency health measures and their impact on the economy and social and cultural life, but also [Technical difficulty—Editor] of some of our institutions. It placed renewed focus on the essential work done by thousands of men and women on the front lines of providing care. These thousands of jobs are often precarious, unknown and undervalued, yet they play a vital role in our daily lives.
The crisis also shed light on the systemic inequities that still too often define all these essential front‑line jobs. The jobs are predominantly held by women or immigrants, who often have low or poorly recognized qualifications and fragile employment situations. I'm pleased that the committee is taking the time today to shed light on this challenging period. There are certainly important lessons to be learned. The government definitely plays a key role in all this.
I want to draw your attention to a few points for consideration. The labour movement acknowledges that a number of employers have been facing recruitment challenges for several years now. These challenges can vary from region to region, from sector to sector and from province to province. There's also a shortage of good jobs. In terms of supply and demand, we often see major imbalances in professions or trades where the conditions provided aren't enough to attract and retain a skilled workforce [Technical difficulty—Editor].
With respect to labour shortages and working conditions in the care economy, I want to outline some of the key issues raised by our members who work in this sector on a daily basis.
Compensation packages aren't always competitive when compared to other occupations that require the same skills or qualifications. In many workplaces, the disposable income of workers, especially the workers with the most precarious conditions, is decreasing given the constant pressure of private drug plan costs. This makes the workers poorer every year. Moreover, the labour shortage places additional pressure on the current teams, which are already stretched thin as a result of often mandatory overtime, rescheduled or split shifts, and the denial of leave. A number of workplaces denied leave during the pandemic, sometimes even for people infected with the virus. As well, workers are called upon to perform their work in multiple facilities, which are sometimes far apart. The working conditions aren't conducive to retaining or attracting workers to care settings. This issue must be addressed.
You have heard this before. In a number of workplaces, front‑line workers are leaving their jobs after only a few years on the job. The wage gap between men and women and between comparable jobs in different sectors can't be overlooked for much longer, especially given the current inflation. The federal government must provide more support to the provinces and territories. It must increase transfers for health care, but also for workforce training [Technical difficulty—Editor] of Quebec.
Thank you for inviting me to speak. I would be pleased to answer your questions.