Released on April 9, 1999
Premier Roy Romanow made the following statement today (CHECK AGAINSTDELIVERY):
I want to speak about four matters today.
First, I want to speak about patient care.
Second, I want to direct a few words to our nurses.
Third, I want to speak about the rule of law.
And fourth, I want to speak about how we got here, and where we
go next.
Let me begin by speaking about patient care.
I begin by expressing my profound thanks and gratitude not only mine,
but of the people of Saskatchewan, to the doctors, the managers the
many workers who are on the job today maintaining health services
under very difficult circumstances. These are truly heroes.
Health care is the most important public service our government
provides. And medicare is the proudest achievement of our province,
and of the party I have the privilege to lead.
Our government is committed to maintaining and improving health care
services.
Better health care is the government's biggest priority. That's why
we increased the health budget by $195 million this year. That's why
we've been working to improve health services for eight years.
And that's why we intervened in this dispute.
Our government acted to protect patient services after the
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses issued a strike notice and executed
it, threatening our health system over a demand for a
22 per cent increase.
Again, I want to express my profound thanks to the managers,
doctors and workers who are on the job today, maintaining health
care services. But it is obvious they can't replace the 8,400
nurses who belong to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses for any
length of time.
Health Boards have been clear with us that patient care is at
risk.
So to my second subject.
I'd like to direct a few words to our nurses.
Your union has walked away from the best contract offer SUN has
ever received from the employer, and has provoked a strike over a
22 per cent increase.
We understand the priceless value of the work that nurses do
and that all health care workers do.
But 22 per cent is too much.
We simply can't afford it.
And it's not fair to other public sector workers who have settled
contracts for what we can afford.
I know you want to be with your patients today. I urge you not
pursue this dispute at the expense of your patients. I urge you
to respect the law and to return to work.
Third, let me speak about the law.
When this union refuses to obey the law, they are saying that
their 22 per cent demand is more vital and more important than
the needs of the people, as expressed in validly enacted laws.
By defying the law, the fundamental principles of a civilized and
democratic society are violated.
Laws are vital to our collective well-being.
When they are rejected because some feel they deserve higher
salaries or because they feel their demands were not fully met,
we no longer have a system of law, and we no longer have a system
of democracy.
That is why, like every concerned citizen, I am appalled by the
actions being taken, and the choices being made.
A grave disservice is being done to patients, to the union's own
members, and to the public interest in Saskatchewan.
Fourth, let me conclude by briefly reviewing how we got here, and
what happens now.
The Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) and
SUN have been engaged in one of the most complex negotiations
ever undertaken in the health field.
Nine collective agreements were being merged into one.
And SAHO was dealing with a very tough 22 per cent demand from
the union.
In many ways, negotiations had barely begun.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees spent more than a year
after their contract expired negotiating their current tentative
agreement.
SUN negotiated with SAHO for less than two months
Their contract expired less than two weeks ago.
On Monday night, SUN issued strike notice, thereby threatening
patient care unless the employer agreed to their 22 per cent
demand.
On Tuesday, I invited SUN and SAHO to meet with me to see if we
could find common ground and get negotiations back on track.
On Wednesday, I met with the President of SUN and the Chair of
SAHO for more than eleven hours.
I listened carefully to what both sides had to say. Everything I
heard told me that negotiations were deadlocked.
I outlined a series of ideas that could have formed the basis of
an agreement.
Our suggestions focused on improving the workplace, so that
patient care would be improved.
These included:
Joint activities to recruit and retain more nurses.
More permanent, rather than part-time or casual, jobs for
nurses.
Joint work on nursing practices.
Stronger seniority provisions.
Pay equity.
These ideas amount to the best contract proposals on workplace
issues that SUN has ever received.
These ideas address key workplace issues that nurses have been
working towards for a decade.
If the issue was quality of care; if the issue was improving the
workplace for nurses then SUN would have accepted these
proposals and made them the basis for an agreement.
As testimony to what I've said, the two parties agreed to take
our ideas back to their respective committees, and we agreed to
meet again Thursday morning.
Wednesday night, SUN announced a province-wide walkout, and
reiterated their 22 per cent demand.
Health Boards informed the government that patient care was at
risk. In consequence the government was left with no choice but
introduce legislation ending the dispute.
Yesterday, the Legislature adopted a bill which extended existing
agreements for three years, provided for a fair seven per cent
pay hike, and committed the two parties to return to the table,
to work on a new collective agreement.
Yesterday, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses chose to continue to
pursue their 22 per cent demand. They are now conducting an
illegal strike, which continues to put patients at risk.
They have chosen to disregard the laws of this province a very
serious matter.
That's where we've been. What now?
First, I again urge nurses to return to caring for their
patients.
Second, I am informed that counsel for SAHO will appear in the
Court of Queen's Bench as soon as possible to seek an injunction
ending this continuing breach of the law.
The consequences of a continuing breach of the law will become
increasingly serious thereafter.
I still hope we can avoid all of this, and that nurses will work
with us to return the health system to normal as soon as
possible.
Finally, I reiterate the commitments I made at our meeting on
Wednesday, and which Minister Atkinson confirmed last night.
Once the Health System is back to normal, we will work with
nurses to improve their jobs, to address the issues in the
workplace, and to help them improve patient care a commitment
we have made to all health care workers and to the people of
Saskatchewan.
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