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We await your answer, Mr. Premier |
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Written by Cathy Dickson
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Saturday, 07 May 2011 |
Statement by Cathy Dickson, President Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan
Prince Albert May 6, 2011
This afternoon, as required by law, the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan is
providing health care employers and the Wall government with 48 Hours strike notice.
This means that job action involving our specialized health care professionals could begin as
early as Sunday across the province.
Exactly where and how job action will begin, and which of our more than three-thousand
professionals will be involved, will be made public at the appropriate time.
We want the people of Saskatchewan to know that we have done everything possible to avoid a
strike, but the Wall government and health care employers have given us no other option.
We have spent more than two years at the bargaining table, trying to convince health care
employers to actually negotiate, and provide a fair and reasonable contract offer.
For more than two years, on the direction of the Wall government, health care employers have
stonewalled and refused to get on with the job.
More than two months ago, when presented with a contract proposal that our members
described as “insulting”, our union’s Negotiating Committee was given an 88% strike mandate.
In recent weeks, to try to avoid strike action, we have presented health care employers with no
fewer than four different contract proposals.
Each time employers have dismissed our proposals, and refused to even negotiate.
We have gone to the Legislature to try to convince the Wall government to revise its health
sector mandate, but all we’ve heard and seen from the Health Minister is misinformation and
disrespect.
Two weeks ago, also in an attempt to avoid strike action, we publicly called on Premier Wall to
agree to send our contract dispute to independent, binding arbitration.
The Premier has shown complete disrespect for our specialized health care professionals by not
even responding to our request.
Enough is enough.
Throughout this long and frustrating contract dispute we have focused on two fundamental
problems with the Wall government’s approach to health care:
First, it is allowing health care employers to balance their budgets by chronically understaffing
our professions, which risks the health of many patients, and forces others to wait
unacceptable lengths of time for needed health care services
Second, they are allowing recruitment and retention problems for our professions to worsen
by failing to keep our wages and benefits competitive with other provinces, like Alberta, or
even with other Saskatchewan health care professions, like Registered Nurses
We have decided that we have to take a stand.
Unless the chronic under-staffing is stopped, Saskatchewan patients will continue to be put at
risk.
Unless wages and benefits become more competitive, Saskatchewan’s recruitment and
retention of our professionals will only worsen.
Health care employers have tried to deny they are under-staffing our professions, but the facts
show they are misleading the public.
Independent research from the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) shows that
Saskatchewan has fewer Respiratory Therapists and Occupational Therapists per capita than
anywhere else in Canada. And we have fewer Physical Therapists and Audiologists per capita
than anywhere else in Western Canada.
In addition, many health care employers are practicing “vacancy management”, which simply
means they drag their feet on replacing our professionals when they leave a position, hoping the
public won’t notice.
What about competitiveness? Here too health care employers and the Wall government have
misled the public.
The Health Minister claims we have been offered “competitive” wages and benefits. On average,
our Saskatchewan health care professionals trail their Alberta counterparts today by 25%, and
Saskatchewan Registered Nurses by more than 35%.
Even health care employers confirm that if we accepted their insulting contract offer, 16 of 26
professions would still be paid below the Western Canadian Average.
In fact, for professionals like our EMS workers Saskatchewan will be dead last among the
Western provinces! Not competitive. Not even close.
In spite of the frustration of the past two years; in spite of the disrespect shown our members by
health care employers and the Wall government, strike action can still be avoided.
They have 48 hours.
The ball is now totally in Premier Wall’s court.
He can avoid strike action by instructing health care employers to agree to send this contract
dispute to independent, binding arbitration.
We call on Premier Wall to show some leadership, and to show some respect for Saskatchewan
health care professionals.
Sir, if you truly believe that you are making a fair and reasonable contract offer, why not have the
courage to submit your position to independent scrutiny?
We await your answer, Mr. Premier.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 May 2011 )
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