July 5 was signing day in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue for the120 employees at the Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec (LSPQ) of the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). Under the new collective agreement, members of Local 2667 will receive the same wage increases as agreed upon in the public sector.
The new labour contract, covering the period from January 1, 2010 to March 31, 2015, contains a number of improvements, including specialized computer technician classification for programmers and network administrators, the permanence of certain positions, the inclusion of a system of flexible hours, and the possibility of recognized benefits for holders of permanent positions.
The LSPQ employees work primarily as laboratory technicians, technical laboratory coordinators, technical laboratory assistants, support staff (clerical and manual workers) and computer technicians. CUPE also represents a second group of INSPQ employees in Local 4671, who work at INSPQ headquarters in Quebec City. They ratified their new collective agreement on February 28.
The LSPQ was founded in 1894 and incorporated into the INSPQ in April 2000. Its primary role is to protect the people of Quebec against infections by offering its expertise to hospital laboratories, public health departments and the provincial Ministry of Health and Social Services. The LSPQ provides analysis of the microbiology and physical chemistry of water,hemodialysis and laboratory services, as well as surveillance programs for infectious diseases.