Sask. health-care workers rally in Regina to demand better wages

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Hundreds of health-care workers rallied outside the Saskatchewan Legislative Building this week, demanding better pay “and respect for the vital work that they do.”

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That’s according to Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 5430, which represents more than 13,600 members in Saskatchewan ranging from “clerical, technical, nursing, support and plant operation” workers.

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The employees have not received a raise in three years despite the rising cost of living and personal budgetary constraints, said CUPE 5430 president Bashir Jalloh in a news release.

Workers from Prince Albert, Weyburn, North Battleford, Yorkton, Estevan, Moosomin, rural communities and more came to Wednesday’s rally to pressure the government ahead of an April 29 return to the bargaining table.  

An offer made by the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) in early March was rejected by CUPE as well as SGEU and SEIU-West, two other unions that represent health workers in the province. SAHO represents the interests of health-sector employers during negotiations, according to its website.

The government said SAHO offered workers a wage increase of three per cent, which would be retroactive to April 1, 2023.

“Our members are the heart of the health care system but we are being overlooked and underpaid,” said Jalloh. “We show up every day for our patients. Today, we showed up for each other.”

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On the same day, NDP critic for rural and remote health Meara Conway launched the “Time to Deliver” tour in Saskatoon.

Conway, who is expecting her third child, plans to tour northern and remote communities “to highlight how the Sask. Party’s health-care cuts are threatening maternity wards, emergency rooms, and other essential services,” according to an NDP news release.

Conway went to North Battleford, Shellbrook, and Prince Albert as part of the first leg that began this week.

“Reliable access to quality health care is absolutely essential to making a bright future for all communities in our province,” said Conway in the release.

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