Seventy-three years ago today, on December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to recognize the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family around the world. The declaration serves as a foundation for freedom, justice and peace, yet the pandemic has highlighted the devastating impacts of the failure to protect human rights and deep-rooted inequalities.

This year’s United Nations theme for the recognition of this day is: “Equality – Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights”, relating to Article 1 of the declaration which states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The theme highlights the principles of equality, inclusion and non-discrimination that must be at the heart of pandemic recovery and the UN approach to sustainable development.

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Throughout the pandemic, the Moe government has shown its reluctance to listen to medical experts to enact public health measures in a timely way. This mishandling has directly contributed to today’s current backlog of surgeries. CUPE Local 5430 is concerned about the backlog for surgical procedures and diagnostic services, but improvements can and must be made within our public and universal health care system.

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December 6 is the 32nd anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre. We pause to remember all those who have lost their lives because of gender-based violence. CUPE Saskatchewan joins in renewing our resolve to stop sexual and gender-based violence in the workplace and in our communities.

Join the outdoor candlelight vigil at 5:00 p.m. in front of City Hall in Regina on December 6, 2021 (bring a mask and dress warmly). Facebook event link: https://fb.me/e/12y5t3CLo

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Front line health care workers from CUPE Local 5430 attended Thursday’s session of the Legislature to call attention to the chronic staffing issues in Saskatchewan’s health care system.

“Short staffing was an issue before COVID-19, but the pandemic has made the situation much worse for health care workers,” said Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE Local 5430 and a Nuclear Medicine Technician at the Pasqua Hospital. “Staffing shortages have an impact on patients and residents. We have seen a shortage of cooks result in weeks of soup and sandwiches for long-term care residents. We have seen patients in Prince Albert denied home care – even though they qualify and are facing medical needs.”

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SGEU, SEIU-West and CUPE – three Saskatchewan unions representing health care providers – are concerned by the legitimacy of a recent statement by Premier Scott Moe who claimed his government has followed through on a commitment to hire additional Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) positions for home care and long-term care services.

Earlier this month, the government issued a news release and the premier claimed on Twitter that his government has filled 95 of the 108 CCA positions they committed to hiring in the 2020-2021 provincial budget. These additional health care staff were meant to address understaffed home care and long-term care services across the province but were far less than the 300 new CCAs Moe promised during the 2020 election campaign.

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Ahead of elections at CUPE’s National Convention being held virtually on November 22 to 26, 2021, the Executive Board of CUPE Saskatchewan has endorsed candidate Candace Rennick for the position of National Secretary-Treasurer.

“Candace Rennick has the proven experience, skills and vision needed in a Secretary-Treasurer to ensure Canada’s leading union can continue to build a better life for workers,” said Judy Henley, President of CUPE Saskatchewan.

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CUPE Local 5428, the union representing workers at the Town of Esterhazy, is filing for intervention from the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board for assistance with negotiating a first collective agreement.

“Workers at the Town of Esterhazy voted to join CUPE in April 2019. Since then, the Town administration has been attempting to strip away our members hard-earned rights and benefits,” said Jan Goy, CUPE National Representative. “It is absolutely ridiculous that the Town is rejecting any improvements to working conditions or compensation and is instead moving backwards.”

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Hosted by CUPE Saskatchewan, join this webinar with featured guest speakers for a panel discussion about anti-racism and building solidarity to confront oppression.

Register in advance for this webinar here.

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CUPE Local 2714 and the Town of Maple Creek have reached a tentative three-year agreement after an emergency bargaining session with a provincial mediator.

“We are pleased that the town removed their harmful concessions,” said Dave Stevenson, CUPE National Representative. “We were able to achieve a collective agreement for our members without the town imposing a disruption of services.”

The union will be conducting their ratification vote on October 19, 2021 and the Town Council will be considering the matter at their October 26, 2021 council meeting.

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CUPE Saskatchewan calls on the provincial government to make truth and reconciliation a statutory holiday and a priority this upcoming fall legislative session.

The first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is being observed across Canada today on September 30, 2021. In June of this year, the federal government passed legislation to establish the statutory holiday in response to Call to Action number 80 of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The date also coincides with Orange Shirt Day – a grassroots initiative that has grown over the years to honour Survivors and to remember all the children who didn’t return home and lost their lives during the harmful, tragic legacy of residential schools and violence through colonialism.

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