Urgences-Sant paramedics give union mandate to strike

An overwhelming majority of Urgences-Sant paramedics have voted to give their union a general strike mandate.

Theunion, which is CSN affiliated, said99.5 per cent of paramedics voted in favour.

They weremeeting Tuesday and Wednesdayfor a general assembly.

They represent about 960 paramedics in Montreal and Laval.

Their collective agreement expired March 31, 2015.

Yvon Bonesso, the union's vice-president,said negotiations between Quebec's Health Ministry andUrgences-Sant have gone on for over a year and a half without a result.

He said that there are a number of work related issues they want to address and paramedics are feeling frustrated.

"The workload is so bad, we don't feel that we're providing the best service that we can," said Bonesso.

"It's not just a question of money and salaries, it's a question of workload."

There are no firm plans yet for a strike, butparamedics would be required to provide emergency careif they take any work actions since they are considered an essentialservice by law.