Representatives from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) came together to meet on March 31st, April 1st, and April 2nd.
SUN’s Negotiations Committee approached this set of dates optimistic that both parties would finally be in a position to align on key groupings of related articles that have now been on the table for months, agree on improvements to language that would benefit all sides, and move forward to take on additional concepts of vital importance for both registered nurses and the patients they work so hard to care for.
In a previous update, it was mentioned that SAHO’s lead negotiator had to step away for an unknown amount of time due to circumstances beyond his control. However, SUN’s Negotiations Committee was highly committed to working with those remaining at the table to move forward on solution-oriented discussions. The Committee put a significant amount of effort into ensuring members are protected and supported in relation to themes such as multi-site and community work, posting of positions, floating, options for relief, and return for service agreements. SUN’s team has repeatedly put forward language on numerous articles, most recently Articles 26, 27, 37, 45, and LOU 10, and were eager to gain momentum and make some substantive progress. However, on many of these items, SUN’s Committee has still not been provided with a comprehensive response or any of the basic information requested from the employer since January.
In addition to the focus around these articles, SUN also initiated discussions on vacation entitlement and named replacement leaves. Too often, SUN members are not getting the vacation they requested. These concepts that are crucial in order to reduce registered nurse and nurse practitioner burnout, enhance retention and recruitment efforts, and improve health system stability. All parties acknowledged that better language was needed so SUN’s Negotiations Committee introduced improvements to Articles 15, 17, 18, and 38 that they believed could be workable for all those involved.
However, SUN’s team was shocked and disappointed in the employer’s response, which included proposed rollbacks to named replacement language and minimal interest towards the language proposed by SUN to address the many issues related to the granting of vacation requests. This is not an indication of support, respect, or shared values, and works to undermine efforts to provide much needed stability and security for registered nurses and nurse practitioners in this province. While SUN’s Committee has done a significant amount of work to propose solutions and utilize the tools that exist in ways that would provide some relief to SUN members and the health system, the other parties do not seem to be functioning with that same lens.
Unfortunately, SUN’s dedication has not been matched by the other parties. The lack of depth and breadth of experience among those remaining at the table for SAHO and SHA is becoming a notable barrier to working on multiple, interconnected articles at once, joint problem solving, modifying proposed language and returning with solutions that reflect the needs of all parties in order to sustain a healthy registered nurse and nurse practitioner work force. SUN has worked tirelessly to problem-solve, consider the interests and challenges of all parties, and bring language that supports the broader goal of stabilizing, enhancing, and supporting the nursing workforce in Saskatchewan.
SUN’s Committee is entering into the next set of dates hopeful that all parties will bring a renewed commitment to productive discussions and significant progress when meetings resume on April 28th.
Negotiations Updates are regular communications meant to keep SUN members informed of the bargaining committee’s activities and the status of SUN’s bargaining efforts.
