The SAHO Bargaining Committee met with the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) on January 7 – 9 and January 21 -23, 2025.

Both parties have tabled substantial proposed changes aimed at modernizing the collective agreement including recognizing the changes that flow from the elimination of the former regional health authorities and the creation of a new provincial health authority. A significant amount of time was spent during our first session on how community-based positions will function within the provincial structure. These are critical conversations that can be time consuming but are necessary to fully understand each other’s perspectives on key issues. This topic, like many in collective bargaining, touches many provisions of the collective agreement. Thoughtful and thorough discussions will be required by both parties to find satisfactory resolution of this and many of the topics on the table for this round of bargaining.

The second session in January resulted in finding agreement on some matters while providing another opportunity for engaged discussions to advance this table.

SAHO remains committed to negotiating a collective agreement which reflects the present-day configuration of healthcare while providing the operational flexibility to ensure that the needs of the patients, clients and residents are met. Modernization of healthcare delivery, use of technology and the increased desire to have patient needs met in their home communities are some of the system goals.   Success for any of these goals requires safe, supportive nursing environments and an engaged workforce.

This round of collective bargaining is not just a renewal of the collective agreement but also an opportunity for the employer and the union to negotiate system changes to enhance patient care without the former artificial health region boundaries that, at times, restricted patient-focused delivery of care, hindered the creation of fulltime positions or the development of provincial programs or the use of emerging technologies to increase accessibility for patients.  These are the critical conversations that both parties have committed to during this round of bargaining. We look forward to continuing these productive discussions.  

The next meeting dates are scheduled for February 11, 12 and 13, 2025.

Union/SUN January 31, 2025