Quebec beefs up retention bonuses for Nunavik nurses
Provincial union celebrates ‘good move’ in improving working conditions
Quebec’s health minister announced this week that nurses in Nunavik will soon see new retention bonuses. (File photo)
Nurses who work in Nunavik are set to receive a big boost in their annual retention bonuses.
The bonuses are set to increase by 21.43 per cent, from $14,000 to $17,000, Christian Dubé, Quebec’s health minister, announced Wednesday in a French news release.
For nurses working in “more remote” parts of the region, bonuses are increasing from $20,447 to $24,829.
The announcement includes several other new measures.
Nurses who have worked half a year will be eligible for six trips out of their community annually, up from four.
Also, southern nurses will have more opportunities to go on leave from their employers to take temporary nursing positions in Nunavik.
Dubé also touted a previously announced plan to build 150 new housing units to accommodate staff.
“The measures will make it possible to attract new resources, but also to retain those who are already helping us on the ground,” Dubé said.
“Improving the conditions to attract more qualified personnel will improve access to quality health care for the citizens of Nunavik.”
The Interprofessional Federation of Health of Quebec, the union that represents nurses across the province, described the new measure as a victory in what has been a year-long battle to address staffing shortages and burnout-inducing working conditions at Nunavik health centres.
“They have mobilized over the past few months and finally, they have been heard by the Government of Quebec,” said Julie Bouchard, the union’s president, in a French statement.
“This is good news for the health-care professionals, but also for the people who live in these communities.”
Last year, the union that represents nurses in Nunavik’s Hudson Bay communities began sounding the alarm about clinics being understaffed and employees overworked.
Earlier this year, Hudson nurses walked off the job to protest a lack of improvement in their working conditions.
Shortly after that, they launched a petition demanding intervention from the Quebec government.
After a period of mediation talks, the Inuulitsivik Health Centre said it was looking to offer a new range of employee benefits such as shorter working periods, which would allow southern staff to return home frequently.
“The enhancement of this attraction bonus by the government is very good news both for our health personnel, whom we want to keep, but also for the population, which can count on new resources,” said Denis Lamothe, the member of the national assembly for Ungava.
“I enthusiastically welcome this agreement in principle and I invite health-care professionals who want to join us not to hesitate to do so.”
Good to see the Government of Quebec stepping up for the nurses in Nunavik. Take note GN.
Something else to consider regarding retention and worker happiness. While good pay and perks matter, people want (and may even settle for less extrinsic rewards for) autonomy at work, to be treated with respect and given trust and recognition for their work. They also want the opportunity to advance and get training.
As so many of managers in our public service have never been trained it is no surprise these concepts are foreign to so many of them.
Nunavik is doing it right. Those 6 paid trips out of their communities is a great way to retain nurses who burn out. They deserve every single one of those trips out, even if only just for a few days. Improve working conditions and staff retention will follow. Much better than Nunavut’s “northern allowance” that doesnt include any flights.
Have they offered to hire back all the nurses that wouldnt take the jab?
As a population struggling, even the hospital Inuit workers. There is too many bonuses for non Inuit and none at all for Inuit workers, one trip a year not 6 trips a year, that’s why there is always short of staff at the hospital. Lack of service and too much vacation for non Inuit. Very unfair Quebec.
You know what else is not Fair? U go into a big city and see public housing units next to big mansions. Not fair for the public housing tenants who need to look at their successful neighbors houses. We live in a society that rewards hard work. It is the basis of capitalism. Go to cuba or russia and see how being fair is working out for them.
Your attitude will keep professionals out of Inuit land. A hard working nurse deserves what they get. They’ve worked hard to get where they are and they deserve the time-off, the nice staff housing unit and the salary. Hopefully one day those jobs will be filled by inuit but it doesn’t look like they will happen any time soon.
Very typical answer. There are no graduates and a lot of hypocrites all around Nunavik. The education system is based in the south! Do you see any colleges or universities in Nunavik?! These people do not work in the system. Trolls online are getting through nunatsiaq news. Very disappointing and very spoiled, there is good work done in the northern Quebec, but the fairness is not met. That’s the original point. Get a clue trolls.
Colleges and universities require massive populations to support them. The idea that nunavik will get a university is Ludacris. Like anyone growing up in a small or remote community, getting a higher education requires moving away for a few years. But first things first, got to graduate high school and Nunavik’s graduation rates are abysmal at best.
You don’t make any sense. Would you be able to go to another place in Quebec or Canada , and work to help people with real life issues? If not , you don’t have anything to say , or you shouldn’t.
So, they get to see their families 6x a year while “local” gets to see his every night after work. That is not fair, the nurses should get to fly back to Montreal to see their families every night after work, too.
Also, I’m sure inuit nurses get the same benefits vs non-inuit. “Hospital worker” probably not so much.
These incentives are not based on race. If you are Inuit and trained and educated you can take the same incentives. Already live in the community and want a free move up? Move south for a month and then get rehired.
The opportunity is there for any Inuit of Nunavik to become a nurse. That needs to be done. Until which time, don’t compare local untrained to professionals that come in from their homes in south to work in Nunavik.
People in finance so need bonuses, they too are burnt out and they are the reason Nurses get paid to do their jobs. government MLA’s don’t even recognize the finance departments for all the hard work they do, and yes where do their pay come from.
“Courage is the enabling virture. All the other virtues are empty without courage” Dr Cornel West.
It is a thought I would like to share on this space at NN. The correlation to it and mental health it is profound.