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Under the theme “ At the heart of the truly public network ”, we are taking advantage of this day of June 7 to highlight your work and to thank you, the staff of auxiliary services and trades. You work with great professionalism and you dedicate yourself despite the pitfalls encountered in our networks in order to provide high quality services to the population.
The health care and social services provided by professionals and technicians would be nothing if users did not eat properly, if they were not safe, if they were treated in unmaintained or unclean establishments. To have good services, we must provide a conducive environment. And it is through the paratechnical staff, auxiliary services and trades that this happens.
Who are the auxiliary and professional staff?
When we talk about the network’s forgotten people, these people are directly concerned. Do you know rehabilitation assistants? Technical assistants in dental medicine? Senior pharmacy technical assistants? Have you even heard of the big family of attendants? Whether physiotherapy or occupational therapy attendants, operating room attendants, ophthalmology attendants, transport attendants, medical device reprocessing attendants, food service attendants, all of these job titles have their importance.
And we could continue to name job titles like that for a while longer.
Each job title is a piece of the great puzzle that the health and social services network represents. As soon as a piece is missing, the network image is incomplete.
For the workers, the government does not see the importance you have. Yes there are private companies that can do the work. But none of them have the knowledge of the environments in which they come to work.
Our specialized workers devote themselves body and soul to ensuring that care and services are provided in safe, functional and pleasant environments, taking into account the environment and the clients with whom they work. Which is not the case in the private sector. This is also what brings its share of problems which force our staff to return to private work.
Economic? Certainly not. Effective? Far from there.
At the FSSS, your promotion and recognition are among our priorities
With the centralization that is upon us, the government must wake up, must value these personnel who are too often forgotten.
It must act now in order to retain its staff and not lose them to private companies. The expertise and experience of this staff are essential for the future and it is imperative to keep them within the network.
Sébastien Gagne
Regional Vice-Presidency Montreal-Laval-Great North
Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN)
