SAHO/SUN Bargaining Update – August 2026

The SAHO Bargaining Committee met with the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) on August 11, 12, 13 and 14, 2026.

At this session, the parties reaffirmed the common desire to address all non-monetary items before moving into monetary discussions to conclude negotiations.

SAHO amended a number of its proposals in an effort to move issues towards resolution. SUN tabled their remaining non-monetary items and the parties engaged in meaningful discussions on most of these issues. Several housekeeping items were agreed to. 

There are some significant and complex issues unresolved at this time, including Article 26 – Multi-Site, Article 45 – Float, and Article 37 – Employees on Other Than Full-Time Status. These issues are related to the delivery of healthcare across Saskatchewan by the single provincial health authority.  

It is important to clarify SAHO’s proposals and the practical impacts of this language for nurses and patients. SAHO’s proposal package of August 11, 2026, included one modest change to clarify that a nurse may be required to float outside of a facility in an emergency circumstance, to provide a medically necessary service in circumstances not due to a chronic staff shortage, vacation, unplanned sick leave or a leave of absence, but this language would only apply to very narrow circumstances and would not result in the floating of nurses involuntarily to anywhere in the province. SAHO believes its proposal strikes a fair balance between meeting the medical needs of patients in emergency circumstances and working conditions of nurses. 

SAHO has put forward proposals necessary to maintain current practice of community nursing. These proposals ensure current practices nurses are accustomed to remain. SUN’s interpretation that nurses would be required to work extended shifts or overtime against their wishes and ‘miss dinner or bedtime’ is blatantly false. SAHO has no proposals which would require a nurse to extend shifts or travel outside of a scheduled shift. The parties specifically discussed that the nurse must be back at their home work location by the end of their scheduled shift.

While SAHO proposals maintain existing practices, SUN’s proposals would significantly impact the delivery of patient care by substantially restricting the travel nurses are currently undertaking in their jobs today. While SAHO gave serious consideration to some of the models proposed by SUN, the negative impact on patient care was too great.  

Care within a community involves a level of unpredictability and uncertainty as care needs change quickly. SAHO’s proposals ensure the employers have the ability to respond to patient needs in the community environment. There are different types of care delivered in a community including specialties such as wound care and public health nursing. For this reason, a ‘one size fits all’ solution limiting travel to a kilometer radius is not possible to specialized care services. The focus of SAHO’s proposals are to ensure that community services can continue to be provided to the homes, communities, and farms they currently serve. 

While SUN has offered “mutual agreement” language, this deviates from current practice. For decades the Employer has posted community positions noting the area(s) it would serve and the travel required; SAHO is not proposing any changes to this practice.  Position postings would continue to indicate the areas the position will serve. Nurses may decide whether the position is a fit for them based on the job posting before they apply. 

SAHO is concerned that SUN’s proposals which add new restrictions to the geographic areas will negatively impact patient care, restrict the delivery of services to communities and hinder the employer’s ability to deliver health care to the people of Saskatchewan in the right place, at the right time.  

This round of bargaining provides an opportunity to review and modernize the collective agreement to better reflect the realities of today’s healthcare environment. Discussions have focused on strengthening healthcare delivery across Saskatchewan with expanded full-time employment opportunities, enhanced support for provincial programs, and the strategic use of technology to improve access to care.

SAHO’s Bargaining Committee remains committed to constructive bargaining and achieving outcomes that support employees while ensuring the continued delivery of safe, high-quality patient care across Saskatchewan. The employer remains focused on finding practical, sustainable solutions that allow healthcare services to be delivered where and when they are needed.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume on September 1, 2, and 3, 2026.

Union/SUN August 28, 2026