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Health-care workers represented by CUPE Local 5430 have voted 99 per cent in favour of job action, a move the union is calling the “largest strike vote” in Saskatchewan’s history.
Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local cast ballots, securing a decisive strike mandate, from Sept. 8 to Sept. 14. The local represents more than 14,000 members in clerical, technical, nursing, support and plant operations roles.
Of the 13,492 votes, 13,358 were in favour of the strike mandate.
The results were announced Tuesday morning in North Battleford, where streets were flooded with pink banners and calls to action. The rally was held outside Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill’s constituency office.
“These folks don’t do this work to get rich,” CUPE national president Mark Hancock said at the rally.
“They do it because they care about the communities. They care about the seniors. They care about folks here in Saskatchewan, and it’s about time that the government of Saskatchewan and the employer took care of those workers that are taking care of everyone else.”
Union members at the rally spoke about cost-of-living pressures and the lack of wage increases that have forced some health-care workers to leave for other jobs or other provinces.
“I want to stay here and work here and be with my people,” said Cindy Landrie, a licensed practical nurse in North Battleford.
“Right now, we’re not getting the respect or the retention we need to keep us in this province so we can actually look after patients. Money is important, but so are our residents of Saskatchewan, and that’s being ignored by our government.”
CUPE Local 5430 health-care workers have been without a contract since March 31, 2023 and have gone more than 4½ years without a wage increase, the union says.
“Our members are frustrated, but they continue to go to work, day in and day out,” Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE 5430, said at the rally. “Because they care, looking after patients is our core value.”
CUPE says the latest employer offer from the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations would move health-care workers farther from their homes, leave its members earning less than other workers in the same roles in Western Canada, and would not reflect the rise in the cost of living.
The provincial government said it remains optimistic it will reach a deal with the union and avoid a strike.
“We’re encouraged by the progress made at the bargaining table between [the association of health organizations] and union partners,” the province said in a statement e-mailed to CBC News.
“We share the same goal as our health care unions. We want to get a deal done so that Saskatchewan health care workers focus on what they do best — providing high-quality care to patients. The best place to achieve that outcome is at the bargaining table.”
Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck expressed her support for the workers in a statement on Tuesday.
“The very people on the front lines who have kept our health-care system running against all odds haven’t had a contract in four years,” Beck said.
“We will continue to fight for fair contracts, competitive wages and a serious plan to recruit and retain the people our health-care system depends on.”