SaskatchewanHealth-care workers brought their concerns about working conditions, wages, staffing retention and the need for a new contract to the steps of Saskatchewan’s provincial legislature on Wednesday. Roughly 28,000 health-care workers from three separate unions have been without a contract since 2023. 28,000 health-care workers from 3 separate unions have been without a contract for over 2 yearsKatie Swyers · CBC News · Posted: Oct 29, 2025 8:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesSGEU president Tracy Sauer speaks at the Saskatchewan Legislature, flanked by dozens of health-care workers from three separate unions on Wednesday. (Katie Swyers/CBC)Health-care workers from across the province brought their concerns about working conditions, wages, staffing retention and the need for a new contract to the steps of Saskatchewan’s provincial legislature on Wednesday.”We have a member who came from La Ronge,” said Bashir Jalloh, the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 5430, which is the largest health-care union in Saskatchewan. Three unions organized the protest — CUPE 5430, the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union, and the Service Employees International Union-West, which represents workers including licensed practical nurses and special care aides.Combined, the three unions represent roughly 28,000 Saskatchewan health-care workers in approximately 200 different job types. All have been without a contract since March 2023. “People are so frustrated and so disrespected,” SEIU-West president Lisa Zunti said. WATCH | Sask. health-care unions frustrated with province over contract talks:Sask. health-care unions frustrated with province over contract talksUnions representing health-care workers in Saskatchewan rallied in front of the legislature Wednesday, saying they’re frustrated by what they see as the provincial government’s unwillingness to sign a new contract and address staffing levels and patient overcrowding in hospitals.She said health-care workers are giving their all every day, while facing scrutiny from the public and trying to protect their respective licences. “It is so disappointing to also then not be respected by your employer and not to be compensated fairly,” she said, calling on the government to “take us seriously and bargain in good faith.”Progress on bargaining has been “extremely slow,” said Zunti, which she said “just seems like a stall tactic to get our members frustrated so they will take whatever is offered to them.”LISTEN | CUPE 5430 and SEIU-West presidents talk about rallying together :The 3069:02Three unions and frontline healthcare workers rally asking the province to move ahead on contract negotiationsBashir Jalloh, CUPE 5430 president, and Lisa Zunti, president of SEIU-West, talk about rallying together at the Saskatchewan legislature to push the province to expedite contract negotiations stuck in limbo for more than two years.Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said it’s “unfortunate that feeling exists.””The commitment from me as the minister and the government is to negotiate in good faith,” he said.More bargaining dates have been added, said Cockrill, and while contract negotiations haven’t reached the point of discussing pay, he said he’s confident the province and workers will reach an agreement. ‘You save money anywhere you can’But SGEU president Tracey Sauer said she’s frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations.”We haven’t even talked about salary yet. After two and a half years, that hasn’t even got to the table yet,” she said. Sauer says workers have not seen a significant pay raise since 2002. “For the last 23 years, it’s been minimal pay increases,” she said.Amy Scott, who works at Wascana Rehabilitation Centre in Regina, says those stagnant wages and the contract uncertainty mean she watches every dollar. “You save money anywhere you can — groceries, shopping,” said Scott.”I will drive for cheaper gas and do whatever we can to save a dollar or two, until they reach an agreement.”ABOUT THE AUTHORKatie Swyers is a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan, based in Regina. She is a 2021 Joan Donaldson Scholar and has previously worked for CBC Podcasts, CBC’s Marketplace, CBC’s network investigative unit, CBC Toronto, CBC Manitoba and as a chase producer for Canada Tonight on CBC News Network. You can reach her at katie.swyers@cbc.ca.With files from Alexander Quon
Dozens of Sask. health-care workers rally for contract, better working conditions
