By paNOW Staff

Date set for North Sask Laundry closure

Mar 11, 2015 | 3:30 PM

Employees of North Sask Laundry in Prince Albert now know when they’ll punch out at work for the last time.

According to Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), K-Bro Linens informed the group it’ll be opening its private laundry facility in Regina Oct. 12.   The centralized facility will replace five laundry facilities in Saskatchewan.

“Our members at North Sask Laundry in Prince Albert have been given notice that their last day on the job will be October 10,” said president of CUPE Saskatchewan Tom Graham in a statement.

However, the other public facilities still don’t know when they will be shutdown, according to CUPE.  “Workers at the other facilities deserve as much advance warning.”

In a statement CUPE Saskatchewan expressed concern on the impact the privatization will have on the economy.

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“In Prince Albert the closure of the laundry facility means a loss of $3.6 million a year to the local economy in wages and spin off benefits,” Graham said.  “Similar losses will be felt in Yorkton, Weyburn and Moose Jaw.”

The opening will result in 400 job losses, including 75 out of Prince Albert.

In addition, CUPE said the quality of linen service could decline.

“CUPE feels strongly that public laundry services deliver high quality products, and we will watch closely to see how privatization impacts the quality of linens,” Graham said.

K-Bro Linen Systems is a privately owned company based out of Calgary, Alta.

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