As most of us know, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has declared the day of the Queen’s funeral—Monday, September 19—as a day of mourning and has granted federal staff a day off. He has encouraged federally regulated employers to provide a day off and has asked the provinces to do the same. The province of Saskatchewan has decided not to declare September 19 a provincial holiday or to grant provincial employees the day off.
For Immediate Release - September 1, 2022
REGINA: The unions representing health care providers in Saskatchewan are questioning the creation of the Saskatchewan Health Care Recruitment Agency.
Saskatchewan – Late last week, amid facility closures and service disruptions across the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the SHA quietly released a troubling measure to respond to “staff shortages”.
Do you want to be more involved in the governance of your Union? Do you have a unique voice to lend to the Executive Board? Here's your chance!
It is time for the 2022 SEIU-West SAHO/ECI Bargaining Survey!
This survey is for SEIU-West members who work at (or are on leave from) a Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) or SHA-affiliated workplace or program, including Extendicare.
On June 7, SEIU-West held a virtual townhall to talk with SHA members about the Letter of Understanding (LOU) that changes our hours-based seniority system to a seniority date system. The difference is that all hours-based seniority will begin to be transferred to a seniority date.
September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We hope you take this day to pause and reflect on the history of Canada and its relationship with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, as well as working towards a different future that respects and acknowledges the unique and independent role of all First Nations. We encourage you to challenge yourself to find your role in building a harmonious relationship with the original peoples of this land.
Angie is a member of SEIU-West's First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee (FNMIC). Here is her story:
As most of us know, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has declared the day of the Queen’s funeral—Monday, September 19—as a day of mourning and has granted federal staff a day off. He has encouraged federally regulated employers to provide a day off and has asked the provinces to do the same. The province of Saskatchewan has decided not to declare September 19 a provincial holiday or to grant provincial employees the day off.
There is a lot of work that goes in to keeping a hospital clean, which is why each year we celebrate Environmental Services Week. They are the team behind keeping areas germ-free and tidy—a task even more vital the past few years. We spoke to Kendel, an Environmental Service Worker (ESW) at a rural acute care centre in the middle of Saskatchewan, to tell us what work in her area has been like.
Better uses for resource windfall
The recent announcement by the Saskatchewan Party government to share resource revenue is suspicious. If you recall, Saskatchewan experienced a record resource revenue boom from 2011 to 2014 and no one saw either cheques in the mail or an improvement of public services. We saw squandering.
The decision to dish out a ‘share-the-wealth’ $500 payment this fall won’t even cover the increases for many that the Saskatchewan Party government has quietly imposed, such as a new school fee to make up for a shortfall in funding for our education system, provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and used cars and transportation costs to find health care out of province.
A simple injection of much-needed dollars would go a long way to clear the backlog of surgeries that health care is experiencing right now. An investment in education is investing in the future of this province.
Finance Minister Harpauer insists that investments in our public services are not sustainable, but I argue that if it was a priority, it would be sustainable.
The Saskatchewan Party tells us that they are keeping Saskatchewan strong and on the right track. It appears we are on the track for a two-tiered health-care and education system, much like the United States.
The tragic events of the past week that began on James Smith Cree Nation have impacted our entire province and have resonated throughout Canada. Though we may never understand the reasons behind the attacks, it’s important for us to grieve for everyone involved. The victims who lost their lives, the survivors recovering from their injuries and coping with living through such horrible events, the families and friends grieving the loss, while supporting their loved ones and communities, the first responders, police, health care providers, and all people in the communities impacted by the horrific events.