Barbara Cape, president of SEIU-West. (File photo by Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By Libby Giesbrecht

Unions for health-care workers call on Sask. government to invest in frontline workers

Jun 4, 2020 | 5:09 PM

Three unions that represent workers in the health-care field are calling on the Saskatchewan government to support health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing wages.

“Everybody is dealing with the stress and the anxiety of living a life in pandemic, but that’s made even more difficult when you’re working on the frontline in health care,” SEIU-West president Barbara Cape said.

“The public doesn’t realize some of the lower wages that we’re faced with on a regular basis and the increased workload that we’re all facing.”

SEIU-West has partnered with CUPE and SGEU in calling on the provincial government to implement a $400 wage top-up for all health-care workers. An online petition has been set up by the three unions for the proposed wage increase.

Cape said Wednesday that previous wage top-ups have not accounted for health-care workers who may also be struggling to make ends meet.

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“In Quebec and Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, the governments have simply decreed these increases, so with the federal and the provincial governments partnering up on a $400 low-wage top-up, we’re calling on them to apply that to all frontline health-care workers, not just folks who are low wage,” Cape said.

“It’s a tangible recognition for frontline health-care workers who are the ones running into this fire to protect the people of Saskatchewan from this pandemic.”

Health-care employees in the province have been restricted to working in only one facility during the pandemic. For those who work multiple positions in different facilities, this limitation can mean a significant reduction in income.

“Lots of our members have two and three jobs to try and make a full-time position and so if you’re cohorted, you’re at the whim of the employer calling you in to work,” Cape said.

“This gives folks a little bit more money so that they can continue to put food on the table and pay their bills.”

Pandemic-related work weighs heavier on workers in the health-care system, Cape said, with more stringent procedures and growing workloads increasing employee stress.

“The pandemic has really put the fine point on just how short-staffed we are, especially in long-term care, but all across the system,” Cape said.

Additional tasks such as frequent cleaning and sterilization in health-care facilities and providing for patients who are unable to see their families during the pandemic are critical parts of care for workers.

While Saskatchewan is not alone in balancing increased COVID-related workloads while understaffed, Cape said these issues require action.

“When we look at the holes that have been discovered in the health-care system, but more specifically, in long-term care across Canada, Saskatchewan is not immune from those issues,” Cape said.

“We really need to take this pandemic as an opportunity to recognize that we need to invest heavily into our health-care system because when you invest in frontline health-care workers, you’re actually investing into our patients, clients and residents. When we have more, we’re able to do more for them.”

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan government announced an expansion to the supplementary wage program. It now will include workers in long-term care facilities, private daycares and approved private service homes.

Each person eligible for the temporary wage supplement will receive $400 per four-week period for up to 16 weeks between March 15 and July 4.