To the Editor:
The Saskatchewan government's decision to hand health care laundry services over to a private for-profit Alberta corporation, K-Bro Linen Systems Inc., raises many questions.
Why did they decide to close public health care laundry facilities and sign a secret contract when the business case developed recommended a two-plant publicly-operated system?
Why is this government sacrificing hundreds of rural jobs that will negatively impact families' livelihoods and local communities? Not only has the real economic impact on these communities never been calculated, but the government has never released their numbers used to justify privatization. How did they arrive at the numbers they claim make the case for privatization? The public has a right to know.
What are the risks to patient safety with transportation, highway closures due to bad weather, and delayed delivery?
How will rolling back workers' wages to barely above minimum wage impact the services?
The announcement states that K-Bro will have a ten-year contract with the option of renewal. Is the government creating a monopoly situation for K-Bro and closing the door on options for the province?
The Premier has criticized PotashCorp for paying plum dividends while cutting jobs. What about the 400 jobs being lost in health care, by the government's own hands? What about the cost of privatization to communities across Saskatchewan?
The public deserves transparency from our government and answers to these questions.
Gordon Campbell, President, CUPE Saskatchewan Health Care Council.
