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Average settlements of $16,000 now being made by Saskatchewan government.
Regina (21 Aug. 2009) - Pension payments to non-permanent employees – ranging from $2,094 to $69,385 – are finally being made as a result of a long legal battle waged by the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU/NUPGE). The average payout is $16,000 per employee.
"SGEU has been working on behalf of members who worked in part-time, casual or in temporary positions in government during the 1980s and 1990s and who were not given the opportunity to join the Public Employees Pension Plan (PEPP)," the union says.
"In 1981, the government changed its pension legislation to enable part-time, temporary and casual workers to join the 'new' pension plan. Unfortunately, many employees hired at that time and in subsequent years either were told they could not join the plan or were not informed that they were entitled to join the plan," it notes.
"SGEU filed suit against the government in 1997 but was later forced out of the legal proceedings and the case went forward on an individual basis - but with SGEU support in the background. Finally, in 2007, the government and SGEU reached an agreement in principle for the PS/GE Bargaining Unit to settle the law suit. The same agreement will likely be extended to the SGEU bargaining units in five other lawsuits."
Documents containing detailed background on the dispute are available on the SGEU website and at the links below.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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