Les comités paritaires de formation professionnelle au Québec : vers une plus grande coopération dans les relations du travail ?

Cet article examine le fonctionnement de quelque dix-sept comités paritaires de formation professionnelle mis en place aux niveaux local et sectoriel au Québec. La question posée est de savoir si de tels comités paritaires participent d'une évolution des relations du travail davantage axées sur la coopération dans un domaine, celui de la formation de la main-d’œuvre, normalement exclu du champ de la négociation collective ? Si la réponse est positive en ce qui concerne les comités sectoriels, au niveau des comités locaux les résultats de l'étude dégagent plutôt trois figures de relations du travail dont la plus importante demeure celle de relations mixtes faites à la fois de coopération et de conflit.This article explores the extent to which the establishment of joint occupational training committees is contributing to the development of more cooperative labour relations. Quebec, like the rest of North America, has usually been ranked well behind most European countries as regards the establishment of mechanisms of concertation. More recently, however, a number of factors linked to the economie crisis and the coming to power of the Parti quebecois have stimulated the development of mechanisms of concertation. The creation of the Societe quebecoise de developpement de la main-d'oeuvre (SQDM) and the adoption of the Act to Foster the Development of Manpower Training (Loi favorisant le developpement de la formation professionnelle) should, in our view, speed up the establishment of joint occupational training committees. Although it is too early to evaluate their quantitative impact, our study examined seventeen existing committees in order to assess the extent to which they have contributed to the development of more cooperative labour relations.The results of our case studies indicate that the context of economie crisis and increased competition has been the principal factor triggering the establishment of joint occupational training committees. The interest of employers in increasing workers' skill levels so as to meet the new requirements of production Systems, such as ISO certification norms, is the counterpart of the unions' search for greater job security.However, at the sectoral level, the objectives are broad (e.g., the establishment of institutional training programs) and are aimed as much, if not more, at training the future work force than those who are already employed. Thus, sectoral committees are generally able to avoid conflicts linked to labour-management relations, whereas at the firm level concertation efforts more often affect the objects of negotiation (e.g., classification, promotions, seniority rights) and may create conflict. Consequently, it is not surprising that the existence of joint occupational training committees does not necessarily go hand in hand with the development of more cooperative labour relations. From our study emerge three general patterns of labour relations, of which the traditional pattern based on a mixture of cooperation and conflict dominates. In only one case out of the thirteen local committees studied were we able to make a direct link between the existence of a joint occupational training committee and the development of more cooperative labour relations. What can be concluded on the basis of seventeen case studies in which, despite the broad context of social change, traditional approaches appear to overshadow innovative ones ? We would argue that a number of adjustments are currently being made that nevertheless fit within the traditional framework of industrial relations in Quebec. More particularly, we would say that, after many years of opposing such change, Quebec unions seem to have agreed to tackle the question of work organization and, as a result, to give greater weight to occupational training within the overall System of job allocation. However, they remain strongly attached to the principle of bureaucratized management of employment based on negotiated rules, especially the seniority principle which remains fundamental. Nevertheless, the situation may still change. In fact, in light of the SQDM's recent Sectoral Initiatives Policy (Politique d'intervention sectorielle), which seeks to encourage the creation of joint occupational training committees, it will be interesting to pursue the present analysis

Dysprosium-doped silica fiber as saturable absorber for mid-infrared pulsed all-fiber lasers

We report on a mid-infrared Q-switched erbium-doped all-fiber laser using a dysprosium-doped silica fiber as saturable absorber for the first time in this wavelength range. Moreover, we demonstrate the use of a highly reflective chirped fiber Bragg grating written in a silica fiber as the input coupler for such lasers. This Q-switched all-fiber laser generates a stable pulse train centered at 2798 nm with a maximum average power of 670 mW at a repetition rate of 140 kHz with a pulse duration of 240 ns and a pulse energy of 4.9 µJ

Swiss Dairy Farmers' Perceptions Surrounding the Disposal of Waste Milk Containing Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistance.

The feeding of waste milk containing antibiotic residues (WMA) to calves has been associated with the shedding of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by calves. However, little is known regarding farmers' intrinsic factors affecting this practice, and on which it would be relevant to intervene in order to change this practice. The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the farmers' intrinsic factors, such as perceived benefits, risks, and social norms related to the feeding of WMA to calves, antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic use, and (2) to evaluate how the feeding of WMA to calves is related to farmers' personal values and perceptions related to WMA feeding and antibiotic resistance. Answers to an online survey were collected from 233 Swiss dairy producers (38.3% response rate). The proportion of respondents who fed WMA to calves was 48.3%. In a hierarchical logistic regression model, only perception factors extracted by factor analysis were associated with the feeding of WMA to calves, namely (in decreasing order of magnitude): farm-level benefits of WMA feeding, the interaction of farm-level benefits with support from governmental authorities, and causes and threats of antibiotic resistance. The results suggest that, in order to reduce the feeding of WMA to calves, communications to dairy producers should focus on changing the perceived benefits of this practice in comparison to those of alternative WMA disposal methods carrying a lower risk of antibiotic resistance. The involvement of veterinarians and governmental authorities in these communications and in supporting producers may increase the successful adoption of alternative WMA disposal methods

Chordoid Glioma Infiltrating Optic Structures

Chordoid glioma of the third ventricle (CGTV) is a rare, slow-growing, World Health Organization Grade II glial tumor, with stereotyped localization in the anterior third ventricle. Despite being considered a noninvasive tumor, CGTV is usually associated with a poor clinical outcome due to its close proximity to important cerebral structures, such as the hypothalamus and visual pathways. Our patient with CGTV experienced visual involvement, but after subtotal surgical resection showed no evidence of progression at 5-year follow-up

Survey on the disposal of waste milk containing antimicrobial residues on Swiss dairy farms

Feeding waste milk containing antimicrobial residues (WMA) to calves has been associated with increased antimicrobial resistance in calves' commensal bacterial flora. The objectives of this study were (1) to document practices related to the disposal of WMA on Swiss dairy farms and (2) to evaluate the association between farm characteristics and the feeding of WMA to calves. A web-based questionnaire on practices surrounding waste milk disposal was completed by 1,625 dairy producers (10.9% of solicited producers). Logistic regression models were built to evaluate the association between herd characteristics and the practice of feeding WMA. Waste milk produced during and up to the first milking after completion of antimicrobial treatment or during the withdrawal period was fed to at least some of the calves on 47.3% of respondents' farms. Farms in organic production had lower odds of feeding WMA to calves than nonorganic farms [odds ratio (OR) 0.59]. Farms located in the eastern region of Switzerland, as opposed to those in the western region, had increased odds of feeding WMA to calves (OR 2.01). A yearly average bulk tank somatic cell count ≥150,000 cells/mL was associated with increased odds of feeding WMA to calves compared with the reference category of <100,000 cells/mL (OR 1.62). An average cow-level annual milk production ≥8,500 L was associated with increased odds of feeding WMA to calves compared with farms in the interquartile range with a production of 6,500 to 8,499 L (OR 1.24). Further research is warranted to investigate dairy farmers' motivations affecting this practice, and to quantitatively define calves' exposure to antimicrobial residues and the resulting antimicrobial resistance in calves' commensal flora on these farms

A First Case Report Of Chordoid Glioma Invading Optic Nerve

"Chordoid glioma of the third 3rd is a rare, grade II glial tumor, that usually presents a poor outcome due to it's vicinity to hypothalamus and visual pathways. It is considered non-invasive.

The parasite Entamoeba histolytica exploits the activities of human matrix metalloproteinases to invade colonic tissue

International audienceIntestinal invasion by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica is characterized by remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The parasite cysteine proteinase A5 (CP-A5) is thought to cooperate with human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) involved in ECM degradation. Here, we investigate the role CP-A5 plays in the regulation of MMPs upon mucosal invasion. We use human colon explants to determine whether CP-A5 activates human MMPs. Inhibition of the MMPs' proteolytic activities abolishes remodelling of the fibrillar collagen structure and prevents trophozoite invasion of the mucosa. In the presence of trophozoites, MMPs-1 and-3 are overexpressed and are associated with fibrillar collagen remodelling. In vitro, CP-A5 performs the catalytic cleavage needed to activate pro-MMP-3, which in turn activates pro-MMP-1. Ex vivo, incubation with recombinant CP-A5 was enough to rescue CP-A5-defective trophozoites. Our results suggest that MMP-3 and/or CP-A5 inhibitors may be of value in further studies aiming to treat intestinal amoebiasis