Workers at the Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel are speaking out against an increasingly toxic work environment, marked by a refusal to grant leaves even during off-peak periods. Ongoing, despite the union’s repeated appeals, the situation is contributing to staff burnout, unplanned absences and an unprecedented staff retention crisis.
Members with 15, 20, even 25 years of seniority are being denied their leave requests and, fearing for their vacations too, they have had to take non-consecutive weeks at unsuitable times. The employer first used the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext and then pointed to the shortage of workers to justify this new system. However, the problem is not unpredictable; it is chronic. Their contingency plan has indeed become the norm, leaving teams compromised and employees on the brink of burnout.
“Pinel created the staff shortage,” denounced Alexa Lachaine, acting president of CUPE 2960. “It has neglected its employees’ mental health and made their work-life balance extremely difficult. Instead of implementing strategies to prevent burnout, the employer is accelerating exhaustion. It’s a vicious circle.”
Furthermore, depending on services and shifts, vacation ratios have been reduced in recent years, so much so that they are now two to three times lower.
These denials come at a time when working conditions at the Institut are deteriorating. The employer is trivializing violence and neglecting its responsibility to ensure health and safety in the workplace. Staff turnover is so high that there is often a shortage of experienced workers on the floor. Disciplinary investigations are increasingly frequent and resulting sanctions extremely severe. The advent of Santé Québec had raised hopes of a turnaround, but it is becoming clear that the Institut is not showing up and the duly negotiated collective agreement is increasingly disregarded.
“Our members care for the most misunderstood population in Quebec,” she concluded. “And they do so in an environment that normalizes violence and degraded working conditions. How can a provincial institute of forensic psychiatry claim to be a leader in mental health yet so mistreat its own employees?”
The union demands that Santé Québec intervene immediately and the Institut respect union members’ negotiated rights. This dehumanizing management approach must be put to an end.
