For Immediate Release
June 1, 2023
Saskatoon—Supporters of a strong public healthcare system joined SEIU-West members at the Saskatoon Cabinet Office to highlight the need for government investment in the patients, clients, and residents and the people who care for them in this province.
In our most recent update, we had identified to our SEIU-West members that vacation banks, time in lieu banks and stat/pro-stat banks would be posted in your workplaces by the end of March. Unfortunately, it was only recently brought to our attention that this did not happen
For Immediate Release
April 5, 2023
Saskatchewan—In what seems to be an attempt to ignore the legitimate concerns of the largest classification of union members in the health care sector, Minister Everett Hindley declared in a legislative committee that Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs) don’t deserve any retention initiatives because they are paid to do the job they do, and that’s retention enough.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and SEIU-West have resolved the outstanding grievances filed in response to the Proof of Vaccination/Monitored Testing Program.
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.
When we celebrate Labour Day, it should be more than another Statutory Holiday or signal the end of summer. It should be a celebration—a moment to lift up, with pride, our skill, our craftsmanship, and our labour that contributes to the success of our team, our communities, and our families.
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.
Labour Day is right around the corner and we've collected a list of events sponsored by district labour councils around the province.
The SEIU-West Education Department is pleased to invite members to apply for the Activist Training Workshop, happening both in-person and online.
The course will take place on:
This year, the annual Convention of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) will be held in Regina on October 26-28, 2022.
This year's Convention includes elections for several leadership positions. The SFL Convention is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in Saskatchewan’s labour movement, and advocate for better social, economic and environmental policies.
As in past years, the SEIU-West Executive Board has agreed to sponsor up to 30 SEIU-West members to attend the Convention as delegates. This includes the registration fee, lost wages or honoraria, and any associated costs in accordance to our policies.
If you are interested in attending, please fill out this Expression of Interest form, no later than August 26, 2022. We will notify those who are selected to attend.
The SFL represents over 100,000 hard working union members in Saskatchewan, from 37 national and international unions. Its goal is to improve working people’s lives throughout the province, whether organized or unorganized, and regardless of affiliation to the SFL.
An article published in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix on July 25 titled “Saskatchewan will pay private clinics to help close surgery gap,” explains the Saskatchewan Party government wants a privately run orthopedic surgery clinic to be built in the province in an effort to clear a record backlog of postponed procedures.
The article states: “The province will issue a formal request to a private company to build a site focused on increasing operating room and bed capacity for in-patient joint replacements, as well as a variety of day surgery procedures.”
The Ministry of Health says it is also exploring contracting an existing private surgery clinic outside of the province to perform hip and knee surgeries for residents on the province’s waitlist.
This from a government that once proudly proclaimed that Saskatchewan is a “have” province.
Timing of this announcement, coinciding with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Tommy Douglas’ medicare, should be more than concerning.
With the plan to build private clinics and outsource publicly funded surgeries to private clinics, is this government signalling the end of publicly funded and administered health care?
If allowed to proceed with this plan, this government will add health care to the list of items people in Saskatchewan can no longer afford.
Martin Been
Saskatoon
Find the published article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix here.