Saskatchewan’s 8,400 nurses are back on the job this week after a 10-day strike.
The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations signed a memorandum of understanding April 18 to end the strike and reopen negotiations toward a collective agreement.
The memorandum calls for a 13.7 percent increase in wages and benefits over the next three years, well below the 22 percent the nurses had requested.
It has a six percent wage increase, one percent to cover professional fees and 1.3 percent to address wage disparity.
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It also includes an extended health and benefits plan worth 2.1 percent of payroll and $7.4 million in a nurses’ recruitment and retention fund.
SUN president Rosalee Longmoore told reporters that putting more money into recruitment and retention was a key issue for the union.
“We believe the framework is there to provide a settlement that will keep nurses working in this province and begin recruiting new people here,” she said.
There was no word at press time when SUN and SAHO would return to negotiations.
Hospital authorities cancelled 1,800 surgeries and transferred 207 patients to hospitals in Manitoba, Alberta, North Dakota and Montana because of the strike.
Only emergency and urgent surgery, such as for cancer, will be done until the system gets back to normal in about 10 days.
Premier Roy Romanow told nurses April 18 their concerns had been heard “loud and clear” and he apologized for not hearing them sooner.
He added he did not regret legislating the nurses back to work less than six hours after they walked off the job.
Contempt of court charges against union leadership for defying the back-to-work legislation and a court injunction will be heard in Regina April 26.
Meanwhile, SAHO reached an agreement April 14 with 9,000 health-care workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union.
As of Monday, 230 Saskatchewan Cancer Agency workers and North Central health district support workers represented by the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union were negotiating, but still on strike.
Nurses in Alberta and Manitoba are also bargaining in their respective provinces.
