SAHO/HEALTH PROVIDER UNION (HPU)

 July 28, 2026

 Following the last SAHO/Health Provider Union (HPU) collective bargaining session, separate meetings were scheduled with CUPE, SGEU, and SEIU-West to independently respond to the individual packages SAHO tabled with each HPU on Friday July 10, 2026. SAHO’s packages intend to effectively move negotiations to conclusion by narrowing its remaining proposals to support the Employers’ key priorities.  SAHO/CUPE met on July 27 and 28, SAHO/SGEU met on July 20 and 21, and SAHO/SEIU-West met on July 23 and 24.

SAHO/CUPE July 27 and 28, 2026

CUPE took the necessary time on July 27 to review SAHO’s package before tabling a response on the morning of July 28. 

SAHO recognizes and appreciates the time and effort that CUPE put into providing this response and answering questions on the afternoon of July 28th. SAHO is reviewing the document provided and will be able to respond at the next bargaining session scheduled for August 11 and 12, 2026. 

Both SAHO’s and CUPE’s packages focus on the outstanding priorities of the parties. For the employers this includes the movement of employees and work, portability of benefits and seniority, contracting in, and monetary proposals. Addressing these priorities will ensure a competitive, stable workforce and enable more efficient patient centered care across the province.

SAHO’s proposals around movement of work and workers do not grant the ability to move work or workers to anywhere in the province at the employers’ sole discretion. Their intent is to provide the employers with greater flexibility to streamline service delivery models and address workload issues as they arise, particularly in areas that are near the borders of the HPUs territorial boundaries.  

The examples below demonstrate how HPU territorial boundaries can negatively impact patient care and unnecessarily restrict the employer’s ability to address workload issues. SAHO’s proposals are intended to reduce these barriers to ensure effective and timely patient care, enhance opportunities for recruitment, retention, and career development of employees, as well as reduce reliance on temporary third-party staffing resources.

Example #1

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) provides Medical Radiation Technology services in both Moose Jaw (SEIU-West) and Regina (CUPE). Unfortunately, if there is an unexpected or unplanned absence of a Medical Radiation Technologist (MRT) in one city, the current collective agreements prohibit an available MRT in the other city from providing temporary coverage to maintain services because the cities are in different union territories. As a result, services in one of the cities may be limited and patients would be required to either travel to another community to receive the service (assuming there is capacity to be seen on short notice) or delay their service until the MRT in their city returns.

Example #2

Cooks provide services at Affiliate special care homes in Moose Jaw (SEIU-West) at Providence Place and in Regina at Santa Maria (CUPE).  

Unfortunately, the current language of these two collective agreements means that if either Santa Maria or Providence Place is experiencing an unexpected or unplanned absence of a Cook, an available Cook employed at the other location cannot come to assist because the two locations are in different union territories. The food services team would be required to work short, placing unnecessary stress and workload pressures on the team.  

To remedy the issues raised by the above examples, SAHO’s proposals would allow for an available MRT or Cook from Regina (72 km, 36-minute drive) to travel to Moose Jaw, and vice versa, to provide temporary coverage ensuring that patients continue to receive the service in their home communities and workplaces are not working short. The employee traveling between the facilities would be paid for their time spent in transit as part of their regular working hours and the kilometrage for the round trip.  

This round of bargaining continues to provide an opportunity to review and modernize collective agreements to better reflect the realities of Saskatchewan’s healthcare environment. Discussions have included initiatives focused on strengthening healthcare delivery across Saskatchewan by maximizing employment opportunities and enhancing timely access to patient care.   

The next bargaining session is scheduled for August 11 and 12, 2026 and we are waiting for confirmation from CUPE for additional dates in September as we work to conclude negotiations.

Union/CUPE July 31, 2026