REGINA, Sask. — Tensions are heating up between the CUPE 5430 health-care workers' union and Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill.
The union has issued a statement demanding Cockrill honour its request for a meeting after health-care workers voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike earlier this week. CUPE 5430 president Bashir Jalloh said in a statement that the union "took these results directly to Minister Cockrill’s constituency office with an urgent request for a meeting. Instead of taking us up on this request, he has been doing a media circuit where he is misrepresenting the facts."
"Let me set the record straight."
Jalloh stated that Cockrill has suggested his government "has little control over the bargaining process. That’s simply not true. It is his government’s last-in-Canada wage mandate that is still on the table. The minister himself told media he meets with SAHO weekly and there has been a ministry official at the bargaining table for years. He has the power to change the direction of negotiations today — and he should."
Jalloh also said Cockrill had "claimed that his government’s proposal on the movement of work was 'voluntary.' That is not what is in the employer’s package. If he does indeed believe that health-care workers should not be forced to work far from their homes without notice or a choice, he should get his bargaining agent to put it in writing.
"Instead of spending time mischaracterizing things he clearly does not understand, he should take us up on our offer to meet so we can get him up to speed."
In a statement to SaskToday earlier this week, Cockrill said, "Health-care workers play an important role in our health-care system and in our province. We thank them for their work delivering high-quality patient care across the province every day.
"We are encouraged by the progress made at the bargaining table between SAHO and union partners. Our government remains optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement that works for health-care workers, patients, employers and communities."
"Strike votes are a part of the collective bargaining process; however, we remain optimistic that productive discussions at the bargaining table will continue. 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."
Meanwhile, SAHO — the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations Inc. — issued its own update on the state of labour talks with CUPE 5430. On Sept. 16, SAHO posted on its website that it met again with CUPE on Sept. 10 and 11.
It reported that on Sept. 10 it tabled a package that "contained significant changes to SAHO’s proposals. These changes were specifically intended to address concerns raised by CUPE and any misinterpretations or misunderstandings regarding the Employer’s proposals. SAHO also bolstered the Employer’s total compensation proposals by proposing an increase to vehicle allowance."
It also reported that CUPE provided a response Sept. 11 to SAHO’s proposal package. "While some movement on one of the Employer’s proposals regarding the distribution of work was noted, further discussions are needed to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of care throughout the province."
SAHO also reports that while CUPE took a strike vote this week, it "cannot legally go on strike or take job action until an Essential Services Agreement (ESA) is in place."
"Over the past several years, only preliminary discussions regarding essential services have taken place. Negotiations of an ESA have not started. Essential service negotiations are complex and must address legislated requirements to ensure the public has adequate access to essential medical care during any potential job action. As bargaining can continue while essential services are being negotiated, SAHO encourages CUPE to maintain its focus on resolving the collective agreement."
SAHO also stated that the "best outcomes for collective bargaining are achieved at the bargaining table." It stated that the parties are set to meet again in Regina on Sept. 24 and 25.
– With files from Angela Brown.
