Another union has declared that they're at an impasse with the provincial government in contract negotiations.
Meanwhile the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union covers multiple industries, including the province's legal system, social workers, highway workers, and more.
Lori Bossaer, the chair of SGEU's negotiating committee, says that they've been in negotiations since their work contract expired back in September.
Negotiations were centered around getting more employees and helping to keep existing employees in the workforce.
"We're looking to help address the need for staff retention and recruitment, which would come in the form of better wages. We have many occupations within the Saskatchewan government that leave their position and go work in the private industry or in other ministries because of the wage increase they get."
"We're having a hard time retaining the members that we need to do some of these critical jobs, which are, you know, to supply good quality work to the citizens of Saskatchewan. So that's one of the things we're looking at, at the table."
"We're also wanting the government to take more seriously the mental health issues that our members suffer because of the jobs they do with overwork, heavy, heavy caseloads, safety issues, you know, in the jails, the burnout from all the overtime that some staff are being forced to work or volunteer to work, so things like that."
Bossaer says for the time being they're not looking at any job action, including strikes.
"That's not at all what we're focusing on. We're focusing on trying to get a fair collective agreement and if we can't get a fair collective agreement, then of course other options will be looked at. But right now we're trying to have the governments give us the name of the mediator who will hopefully bring the two sides together so that we can clearly come up with a collective agreement."
"We're hoping the mediator can help us show the government that what we're asking for is not unreasonable, and it's fair for the citizens of Saskatchewan to be able to get the services that they deserve."
Bossaer says she hopes any future contract also includes more mental health support for the province's employees.
The provincial government sent out the following statement on the matter:
SGEU submitted a letter to the Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety yesterday declaring an impasse in collective bargaining with the Public Service Commission. As per the provisions of the Saskatchewan Employment Act, the Minister is reviewing the request to appoint a mediator or conciliator to assist the parties. The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to reaching an agreement that is good for the public service, and the people of Saskatchewan. We remain committed to the collective bargaining process and believe an agreement with SGEU can be reached at the bargaining table.