The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU) has filed an unfair labour practice against the Saskatchewan government with the labour relations board, accusing it of subverting the bargaining process.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has stated that he wants public sector wages and benefits cut by 3.5 per cent to help deal with a $1.2 billion deficit.
READ MORE: Premier Wall announces plan to save 3.5 per cent across public sector pay starting with MLAs
SGEU president Bob Bymoen said those comments should be made at the bargaining table, not in a public relations campaign.
“Our members should not be hearing about wage cuts, job losses, rollbacks, and unpaid days off through the media,” Bymoen said in a statement.
“They have a union to represent them and the government is acting in bad faith by communicating directly with them, instead of bargaining with the union they have chosen to represent them.”
READ MORE: Sask. government announces move to private custodial contractors
SGEU is also accusing the government of not acting in good faith with the recent announcement that cleaning services are being moved to private contractors.
“Not only is government guilty of attacking some of the most vulnerable, lowest paid members of the public service, but it has breached the rights of those workers by putting them in the position of having to bargain with government as individuals instead of members of their union,” Bymoen stated.
“It’s heartless, unfair, and, we believe, a breach of the province’s employment laws.”
Government officials have not responded to the latest allegations but did previously say that the firms contracted to provide cleaning services have offered to hire current cleaning staff.
Comments