Quebec union warns of staff shortage crisis in emergency call centers – Montreal | PKBNEWS

The union representing workers in the pre-hospital emergency care sector in Quebec is calling for more financial resources to avoid what it describes as a “catastrophic” breakdown of services.

The president of the Federation of Prehospital Employees of Quebec (FPHQ) says that emergency call centers are struggling with a staff shortage that has become unsustainable.

Daniel Chouinard says understaffing increases response times, including for 911 calls, which means ambulances take longer to deploy.

He says some workers work more than 70 hours a week and some quit due to poor working conditions.

The union, whose workers include paramedics and dispatchers, has been without a contract for nine months.

Chouinard says call center workers are only paid $21.37 an hour, which does not reflect the difficulty of the work or their specialized knowledge of health services and emergency situations.

He urges the Quebec government to sign a new contract to restore some stability in the sector and avoid service interruptions.