Hundreds of unionized health-care workers rally outside legislature

Hundreds of unionized health care workers rallied outside the legislature on Wednesday, demanding action from the provincial government. Our message is clear. Our members have waited long enough. CUPE Local 5430 represents health care workers in the province, including those in clerical, technical, nursing and support roles. The union's 14,000 members have been without a contract since March 2023 and have not received a wage increase in more than four years. Saskatchewan currently is last in all provinces in Canada. Historically, we have been paid based on the Western Canada average. Right now, if you take any classification, our wages are way below. Last month, 99% of the union's members voted in favor of job action. It's not a tool the union wants to use, but it's something they can now leverage. We will use that mandate we got as a last resort because we all live in these communities, we all have family members who need the care. Seho has been making progress at bargaining with all of our union partners. The province's health minister says he met with union leadership Wednesday morning ahead of the rally, but that he is not personally responsible for negotiating contracts. That is in the hands of the government's bargaining agent, Seho. We have to allow the bargaining teams for both union partners and for SEIU to have those detailed discussions. Certainly wages are always a topic of discussion. SEIU West is another health care union whose members have also gone years without a contract. Its president says the health minister needs to take responsibility after very little progress at the bargaining table. We know it's a ploy to slow down bargaining. So again, stop hiding behind the bargaining agent and take responsibility for ending this contract and getting these people a proper wage increase. Negotiations with multiple unions are expected to continue through November. Alexander Kwan, CBC News, Regina.