The Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan has been initiating strikes across the province in a series of rotating initiatives which have occurred in Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Prince Albert. The most recent strike is in the Sunrise Health Region. Cathy Dickson, Health Sciences President, was in the Yorkton, where 25 union members walked off the job.
Dickson says that ending the strike action can happen by putting the Health Sciences' contract dispute to independent binding arbitration.
"It's time for the Wall government and health care employers to end the excuses and get on with the job of settling this contract dispute, which is now more than two years old," Dickson states.
The option to move the contract dispute to binding arbitration is one that she says the majority of the province supports.
"The people of Saskatchewan strongly support independent, binding arbitration.
The results of a province-wide poll Health Sciences released yesterday, confirm this alternative has the support of more than two-thirds of the population, that's 67.5 per cent," Dickson notes.
She argues that the government is afraid an independent arbiter would conclude the contract offer is unfair and unreasonable.
"Certainly an independent third party wouldn't buy health care employers' claims that they are offering our specialized health care professions competitive wages and benefits," Dickson says.
She also says that the evidence of the contract offer being unfair is easily seen in the Sunrise Health Region. Dickson claims that the region has been unable to fill positions in the hospital pharmacy for over a year, have been advertising for a Physical Therapist since November of 2009, an Occupational Therapist since November of 2010 and all four psychologist positions in the mental health program sit vacant.
She also argues that an independent arbitrator would discover inconsistencies in the number of Health Sciences positions claimed and the number of employees hired
"They would soon discover that the employers base this calculation on the number of hours worked, not positions, which only supports our argument that too many of our professionals are being asked to do the work of two or three people for a single salary. An independent arbitrator would soon discover that here in the Sunrise Health Region the total number of Health Sciences members has actually decreased by eleven in the past year," Dickson notes.
The need to go to binding arbitration is partially based on essential services legislation, which limits the amount of job action Health Sciences members can take. Dickson says that two thirds of the members in the Sunrise Health Region have been deemed essential.
She asserts a new contract is necessary to get proper care for citizens in the province. Given limits on job action, she also says it's time to get an arbitrator in and have this settled.
"There is no possible way to negotiate this contract, we've been at it for two years."
Dickson apologizes to those who have been inconvenienced by the walk out, but says that this is the only way to get the contract they need to keep Health Sciences employees in the province.
"We have tried everything for two years to avoid this. We did not want to have a strike," she concludes.
