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Health Sciences members ratify new contract

Members of the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan have voted 87% in favour of the new contract agreement reached last month with health care employers, Health Sciences President Cathy Dickson announced.

Members of the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan have voted 87% in favour of the new contract agreement reached last month with health care employers, Health Sciences President Cathy Dickson announced.

"The ratification vote by our members brings an end to more than two years of often difficult contract negotiations, which included the longest running strike action in the history of the Saskatchewan health care sector. While the majority of our members believe this is the best agreement that can be achieved at this point in time, many have told us they want to see improvements when this new contract expires in 2013," Dickson added.

"Health Sciences will continue to campaign for an end to the chronic under-staffing of our specialized professions, because under-staffing has created long waiting lists for many of our services, and a dangerous lack of access to others. We will continue to call for health care employers to be made publicly accountable for their staffing decisions," Dickson said.

"While this agreement may represent the best that can be achieved today, Health Sciences will continue to bring these and other shortcomings to the public's attention in the months and years ahead so that future contract negotiations can focus on practical solutions to these important health care issues," Dickson concluded.

Health Sciences represents more than three-thousand specialized health care professionals from more than thirty health care professions. Members include: Emergency care workers like Paramedics; Acute care workers like Hospital Pharmacists, Perfusionists, and Respiratory Therapists; Rehab professionals like Physical Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists; and Community-based professionals like Public Health Inspectors, Psychologists and Social Workers.