Regina, May 28th, 2012: Members of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) have voted 92.4% in favor of ratifying a two-year collective agreement with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO).
The collective agreement was negotiated concurrently with a new tripartite agreement between SUN, the Ministry of Health, and the Regional Health Authorities. This new tripartite agreement builds on the successes of a 2008 SUN/Government of Saskatchewan partnership in support of maintaining an appropriate, experienced, educated and engaged registered nurse workforce for the provision of high quality, safe patient care.
“Top priorities for SUN members were to maintain competitiveness with other Canadian jurisdictions while addressing workload issues and staffing shortages in the interest of providing the safest and highest quality care to patients and their families,” states SUN President, Rosalee Longmoore “We believe that these concerns will be best addressed through both the new collective and tripartite agreements and are proud to be a partner in this innovative approach to improving the health care system in the province.”
The agreement provides for a 2% lump sum payment in lieu of a wage increase in the first year, followed by a 2% economic wage increase in year two. In addition to the compensation adjustments a number of housekeeping items were addressed as well as improvements for Registered Nurse(Nurse Practitioners) (RN (NPs)) who saw a $6 premium from the previous collective agreement applied directly to their wages.
“We are confident this new collective agreement will keep registered nurses in the province,” notes Longmoore, “While the partnership will provide a unique opportunity to collaborate with employers and the government to redesign how we deliver health care services to better meet the needs of Saskatchewan people.”
The SUN/SAHO Collective Agreement will be in effect for two years running from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2014.
“This atypical two-year timeframe will enable us to collectively identify the next steps to providing improved patient- and family-centred care in every corner of the province, and better inform us on the changes needed to achieve this for future rounds of bargaining,” says Longmoore.
SUN represents almost 9,000 Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs), Registered Nurse(Nurse Practitioner)s (RN(NP)s) and graduates in the province.
Contact: Lars Murran, Public Relations Officer Office: 306-566-5582 Cell: 306-526-9175 Lars.murran@sun-nurses.sk.ca
