The Federation of Pre-Hospital Employees of Quebec (FPHQ) denounces a staff shortage that is no longer sustainable.

At the center where Stéphane Rainville, president of the Brotherhood of Emergency Medical Dispatchers of Laurentides and Lanaudière, works, it’s not uncommon for four dispatchers to do the work of seven.

“Almost twenty people have left since January. […] We’ve hired seven cohorts since January, but we can’t keep them,” he explains in the interview. There are currently 42 staff remaining, including those on sick or maternity leave.

FPHQ estimates that staff shortages are resulting in working weeks in excess of 70 hours for some workers.

“It affects other people’s work and won’t, won’t, it’s Chinese gout,” says Mr. Rainville. More and more makes the world sick, and at some point nobody answers the end of the line. »

It’s also a job that can be very tough mentally as medical dispatchers deal with human tragedy all day, he says.

Mr. Rainville also attributes the situation to the wages on offer: “You start at $21.37 an hour, while at McDonald’s you get $20 an hour flipping dumplings. »

FPHQ advises that the work of emergency dispatchers requires knowledge and expertise in healthcare, as well as the ability to remotely dissect incident scenes in order to convey the right instructions to people in need.

The union is urging the Quebec government to quickly sign a collective bargaining agreement that would ensure stability in dispatchers’ day-to-day work, fearing service disruptions.

The collective agreement for these workers expired nine months ago.

The FPHQ brings together nearly 2,500 employees, including paramedics, support and clerical staff.

“We recognize the essential work that dispatchers are doing in front of the hospital and hope that an agreement can be reached quickly,” the Office of Health Minister Christian Dubé wrote in a letter to The Canadian Press. We will let the negotiation process continue and will not comment further. »