CISSSO recants 200% overtime remuneration promise

After announcing on August 29 that nurses and préposés working overtime during the long weekend in all hospitals, long-term and CHSLD facilities would be paid double time in order to fill a number of holes in schedules, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) recanted the offer less than 24 hours later, stating it did not comply with their collective agreements.

The 200% overtime would have been paid from Thursday at 4 pm until Tuesday at 8 am, compared to the normal150% rate. 

The Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de l’Outaouais (SPSO) made a post on social media the morning of August 29 suggesting that the population consider all other options, like using Ontario’s health system, before heading to the Hull or Gatineau hospitals because of exhausted and overworked employees. Hours later, the office of Danielle McCann, Minister of Health, responded saying “exceptional measures” were being put in place to “ensure the quality and stability of services”; this included the 200% overtime compensation rate.  

“This measure was intended to secure care for the population, but it appears that offering patients secure and quality care isn’t the priority of CISSSO, who seems to be more worried about financial impacts in order to look good at the end-of-year budget time,” said the SPSO in a statement. 

In their statement, CISSSO said no additional comments or interviews would be given.