CUPE members hold rally in Regina in response to pay bump for SHA executives

Hospital support workers are upset that top SHA executives have received raises while wages for union members have stayed stagnant. Wayne Mantyka reports.

Workers at Saskatchewan health-care facilities say it’s unfair that some senior SHA executives have received significant pay increases while workers have gone three years without a raise.

Friday saw a rally outside the Regina Wascana Rehabilitation Centre to pressure the government for a new contract.

Dave Eger is a health care support worker who spent years working three jobs as he worked his way up at the hospital.

“I had three jobs from like 2001 till two years ago,” he explained. “Now I’m just down to one – working supervisor because of my age. I’m getting a little older, I’m only allowed to – I’m only working one job. It was very tiresome.”

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

Now, Eger says he’s watching other workers go through what he did.

“Our wage is very low, and then they’re going to work another part time or full-time job at minimum wage, and they’re still not making ends meet,” he added.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) represents 14,000 members in health care who work in areas like radiology, dietary services, care aids and custodial duties.

Their last contract expired in 2023 – the union says that since then, some senior SHA executives have received raises totalling 10 to 14 per cent.

“Meanwhile, the provincial government has allowed senior executives from the Health Authority to laugh all the way to the bank as workers are forced to use the food bank,” CUPE Saskatchewan president Kent Peterson said during the rally.

In a written statement, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said out-of-scope pay bands have not increased since April 1, 2022.

Any adjustments of the out-of-scope salaries is the result of progression within the existing pay bands. The organization went on to note that unionized salaries are adjusted in a similar fashion.