After more than two years of negotiations, health-care workers represented by CUPE are taking their frustrations to the steps of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.
Arlene Picard, general vice-president of CUPE’s Region Fuller, said the union is bargaining for a new collective agreement that prioritizes better wages, improved work-life balance, and stronger recruitment and retention strategies amid ongoing health-care staffing shortages.
“We're bargaining for our collective agreement and for better wages, better work-life, family [support] for people, and better relief language,” said Picard. “Recruitment and retention is a big issue. There’s a lot of people leaving health care right now due to the working conditions.”
The union has been without a contract for over a year, and Picard said it's been three years since members last received a wage increase.
CUPE represents more than 300 job classifications in health care, including licensed practical nurses (LPNs), lab and x-ray technicians, housekeeping, laundry, continuing care aides, kitchen staff, activities coordinators, and maintenance workers.
Despite the length of negotiations, Picard described the province’s response as “very slow,” prompting CUPE to organize a rally in Regina.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Legislative Building on Tuesday, with the goal of urging the government to help move the bargaining process forward.
“We want the government to step in and help,” said Picard. “We need to bring attention to the fact that these front-line workers deserve a raise. The cost of living has gone up, and the people working so hard need to be recognized.”
While Picard said job action is not currently planned, she noted that many CUPE members feel ready to strike.
“We’ve been without an agreement for over a year,” she said. “From what I’ve heard and seen, they think we should be out there striking.”
Selena Hagland, the facility representative at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan, voiced concern over the lack of fair wages for healthcare workers and the challenges this is causing across the region. “Basically, it's just about like fair like wages. Like we haven't had a wage in place since so long,” she said, noting that the last offer from the employer was a modest 3% increase.
She explained that bargaining has been ongoing for about eight months, but “they've got nowhere with the employer,” and there’s been no meaningful effort to reach an agreement. As a result, healthcare facilities, especially in Region 4, are struggling to retain staff. “We’re all working short staffed at every facility in the whole area,” Haglund said, adding, “You can go to McDonald's and make more money. So why would you work healthcare, really?”
Hagland pointed out that provinces like Alberta and Manitoba have received significant wage increases, asking, “Why is it just Saskatchewan with no increase?” She stressed that without better compensation, the system won’t be able to attract or keep workers, which threatens essential services like hospitals and emergency rooms. “We want to encourage the young people to come and work healthcare also, right? Because after we're gone, there's nobody,” she said.
Ultimately, Hagland called on the government to act, saying, “We really need the government to step up.”
Bargaining is expected to resume next week.