The parties met at the SGEU office in Prince Albert on July 15, 16, and 17, 2025. 

SGEU and SAHO agreed to a Land Acknowledgement as part of the joint commitment to embrace and address the Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action. This work followed the joint meeting on June 12th between the provider unions and the SAHO bargaining committees facilitated by former Chief Cadmus Delorme. Negotiations on several other topics continued with agreement on some of the remaining individual union issues. The issues are narrowing and SGEU indicated that they are close to moving to the common table. SAHO acknowledges the constructive discussions and the narrowing of issues but recognizes that there are some critical issues that require resolve before the parties can advance to those topics. This would include the achieving a common list of proposals from the provider unions.  

From the outset of collective bargaining, the three provider unions have stressed that common table proposals require agreement from all three provider unions before they are considered common. Using these criteria as a guide, SAHO asked the unions to provide a list of items that they consider suitable for the common table. Although the three unions have submitted lists, they contain significant variances and omissions. At this point, the three lists, in their current form, are not helpful to move these negotiations forward. SAHO has urged SGEU to discuss this with the other two provider unions in hopes that they will find alignment for the common table negotiations. The amalgamation of the former regional health authorities into a single provincial health authority requires that all provider unions are at the table to negotiate the issues that flow from that amalgamation and that impact each of them. 

SAHO’s proposals for common table negotiation would give employees the opportunity to maximize hours and create meaningful employment, which may include working in a neighboring union jurisdiction. Importantly, SAHO’s proposals to increase options for employee mobility, including hours of work, do not interfere with union jurisdiction or membership. The integrity of the three provider unions would be maintained. These proposals would ensure that all employees in the 300 plus common classifications, working for the same employer, would maintain internal equity and benefit equally in the opportunities that come with a new single provincial health employer. Employees would have options to exercise their seniority across the province, while maintaining benefits and accruals. These are real benefits for employees that, at the same time, improve access for patients, residents and clients.  

While SAHO is concerned about the length of time these negotiations are taking, recognizing the operation of the Saskatchewan Health Authority as the unified provincial employer – by having SGEU and the other two provider unions come to a common table – is critically important in this round of bargaining. 

SAHO recognizes that while negotiations are underway, economic pressures for employees remain. To help address this, SAHO offered a 3% wage adjustment, retroactive to April 1, 2023, which would provide employees with retroactive payments up to as much as $5,500 as well as an interim wage increase. This offer, worth $90 million, would require SGEU and the other two provider unions to commit to timely resolution of the remaining individual union issues and move to a common table. To date, SGEU and the other provider unions have refused this offer. 

We remain hopeful the three provider unions will work collaboratively to identify those common table issues, quickly resolve any remaining individual table issues and begin the key discussions around those common issues, including the monetary items. To ease some of the pressures for employees, the interim offer for a 3% adjustment remains open and, on the table, should the unions reconsider this on behalf of their members.  

The next scheduled dates for SAHO and SGEU negotiations are August 25 and 26, 2025, in Saskatoon. 

Union/SGEU August 01, 2025