For Immediate Release
April 30, 2024
Swift Current—SEIU-West members gathered outside Minister of Health, Everett Hindley’s constituency office in Swift Current to rally for strong public services in Saskatchewan as part of their biennial Leadership Conference.
“Healthcare, education, and community-based organizations (CBOs), are being chronically underfunded, understaffed, and undervalued by the current provincial government,” says Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West. “The Minister of Health may not be in his office today, but he and the rest of the MLAs need to know that we will be on their doorsteps, we will be writing, phoning, and sending a message to the public to demand that our public services get the investment they need.”
The latest provincial budget is being advertised around the province as the best thing for our public services, but the numbers don’t add up. The budget’s background documents contain many “bullet boasts”—talking points highlighting expenses planned for 2024-25.
“All of our public services are suffering under the current government,” adds Cape. “We need solid investment in recruitment and retention in all areas, multi-year funding in our CBO sector, the education sector is buckling under the weight of increased students and reduced resources, and healthcare is still trying to find its way forward post-pandemic."
The provincial government has been trying to make things not look so bad by shifting services and moving people to fill the gaps; the healthcare system’s new reliance on contract nursing goes beyond RNs and includes CCAs and LPNs—ultimately, private companies are gouging the people of Saskatchewan for services that we already provide. One wonders about the management strategy behind these initiatives.
“Ensuring that our public services are robust and accessible for the people of Saskatchewan when needed means that the government must invest in the people who deliver them,” continues Cape. “That includes ensuring that there are spaces for people to learn the skills that are needed now and in the future, ensuring that people who are working in the public system are well compensated to attract the best and the brightest to provide quality professional public services to the people of Saskatchewan.”
Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West) represents over 13,000 people across Saskatchewan. They include people who work in health care, education, municipalities, community-based organizations, retirement homes, and other sectors. They are joined by one colour – purple – and one union – SEIU-West. Visit PurpleWorks.ca to find out more about SEIU-West members.
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For more information, contact:
Leanne Hendriks
Communications Coordinator
SEIU-West
[email protected]