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Little interest in addressing 'workplace concerns' of 25,000 health care workers. - Bonnie Erickson, SGEU.
Regina (29 Jan. 2010) - Conciliation talks on behalf of 25,000 Saskatchewan health care workers collapsed Thursday after the province and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) presented a “take it or leave it offer” to conciliator Doug Forseth, then cancelled all bargaining and went to the media to justify their artibrary actions.
Representatives of the province's three major health care unions were bitterly disappointed by the employers’ actions, saying it showed a tremendous disrespect to health care providers.
“Can you imagine them treating teachers or registered nurses this way?” asked Gordon Campbell, president of the CUPE Health Care Council (CHCC).
The council is made up of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU/NUPGE), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU-West).
On Jan. 21, the unions presented a new offer of settlement to the conciliator. SAHO and the health employers said they would respond one week later.
The employers returned with an insignificant wage adjustment of 0.1% (to 9.5% in total over four years) and poisoned its package with fresh demands for concessions from health care employees.
“It was a charade. The Saskatchewan government and SAHO only came to these talks to make an appearance,” said Campbell. “They had no interest in resolving the outstanding issues to achieve a settlement.”
Barbara Cape, president of SEIU-West, said the government must be held accountable for the fact that health care providers still have no resolution to staff recruitment and retention issues after 17 months of negotiations.
“The Saskatchewan Party government ensured that our sisters and brothers in the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) – who we work side by side with – had a generous offer after two months of negotiations. Yet they continue to insist that our members accept an insulting monetary package and major concessions,” she said.
Health care workers have been without new collective agreements for almost two years. The employees include special care aides, licensed practical nurses, food services workers, laundry, housekeeping and activity personnel, maintenance, administrative, clerical, emergency medical personnel, therapeutic and diagnostic technologists and recreational workers.
Bonnie Erickson, negotiating committee chair of SGEU, blames the government’s heavy-handed essential services legislation for the employers’ arrogant attitude. “The legislation has given all the power to the employers so they have little interest in addressing our workplace concerns,” she noted.
All three unions, which have strong strike mandates, plan to hold membership meetings in the coming weeks to discuss ways to achieve fair contract settlements.
The CUPE Health Care Council (CHCC) represents 12,600 health care providers in five health regions. SIEU-West represents 11,000 health care providers in four health regions and SGEU represents 2,000 health care providers in three health regions.
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