The union representing nearly 14,000 health-care workers in Saskatchewan will be holding a strike vote this fall. CUPE 5430 announced its intentions in an update on Wednesday, citing worsening working conditions and a lack of “meaningful wage improvements” for years. “If the employer continues to ignore the realities facing frontline workers, our members will have to consider every option available to them to achieve a fair agreement,” CUPE 5430 President Bashir Jalloh said in the announcement. “No one wants job action. But people also cannot continue carrying a system that refuses to value their work.” The union argued that without significant improvements, the province will fall further into what it called a “recruitment and retention crisis.” “When health care workers leave because they cannot afford to stay, everyone feels the impact,” Jalloh said. “Patients wait longer for care. Families experience delays. Remaining staff become exhausted. This isn’t just a workers’ issue – it’s a public issue.” CUPE 5430 noted its strike vote is set to be held in September. Workers have been without a contract since 2023.
