An agreement in principle was ratified on Wednesday by members of the Regroupement Les sages-femmes du Québec (RSFQ) for the four-year extension of their collective agreement, which expired on March 31, 2020.
• Also read: Memorandum of Understanding between Quebec and Midwives
• Also read: Will there still be midwifery services in 25 years?
More than 92% of members accepted the agreement during a members’ meeting via video conference. Almost 19 negotiation sessions were held to reach the terms of this agreement.
“Since the legalization of their profession, midwives have struggled to recognize their profession for its fair value and obtain fair working conditions compared to other professionals in the network,” Guy Albert Coulombe, Treasurer of the Federation of Professionals, commented on Friday via press release (FP-CSN ).
The agreement will therefore make it possible to improve the general conditions of their practice, but also improve the conditions for entering the profession and contribute to the consolidation of services to parents in Quebec.
“The government is taking significant steps to recognize our profession and its importance in the Quebec healthcare network. We hope it will help improve access to reproductive health care for women and pregnant women in Quebec,” said RSFQ President Josyane Giroux.