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On January 20, 21, 22, and 23, representatives from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) met to continue discussions.
During this session, the language around float assignments became a key issue for consideration. As the Committee emphasized, it is crucial for members to have understanding and clarity on which locations within a facility or work area, or external to a facility or work area, they may be floated to and in which circumstances. The Committee also stressed the importance of timely and relevant orientation to ensure that members are supported to provide safe care when floating does occur. These themes will continue to be worked through in order to ensure a fair, safe, and equitable outcome for members.
Additionally, some areas of Article 28 required focused efforts. In continuing to work through updates to this language, the Negotiations Committee is dedicated to making sure that members who face these types of changes in the workplace are supported to have some choice and their rights are protected.
Discussions also continued on community and multi-site positions, transfers and mergers, and remote work. Although working through this language is taking some time and concentrated efforts, it is crucial to get the approach right so that there is clarity on where registered nurses will do their work and consensus on the appropriate geographical distance involved in ensuring both safe and timely care can be provided to patients.
This week also marked an important point in information gathering, as the deadline for the disclosure of the data and information previously requested from SAHO has now passed. This information is critical for accurately assessing impacts and shaping approaches to language. The Committee reiterated the importance of full transparency and will continue to press this issue as discussions proceed.
The session also resulted in some positive developments, and the Committee continues to maintain forward progress. Several important items received sign‑off, allowing the parties to close off specific language in areas such as seniority and access to leave for personal health care.
The SUN Negotiations Committee remains deeply committed to advancing language that protects our members and supports the delivery of safe, effective, and timely patient care. The Committee looks forward to a productive conversation and to building momentum when the parties come together to meet on February 10, 11, and 12.
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