Health-care workers represented by CUPE 5430 have voted 99 per cent in favour of job action in the largest strike vote in Saskatchewan’s history
Between Sept. 8/14, 13,358 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local, which represents nearly half of all unionized health-care employees in support, long-term care, and administrative roles in the province, cast ballots, securing a decisive strike mandate.
The results were announced Tuesday morning in North Battleford, where streets were flooded with pink banners and calls to action. The rally was held outside Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill’s constituency office.
“These folks don’t do this work to get rich,” CUPE national president Mark Hancock said at the rally.
“They do it because they care about the communities; they care about the seniors; they care about folks here in Saskatchewan and it’s about time that the Government of Saskatchewan and the employer took care of those workers that are taking care of everyone else.”
Prior to 2026, the largest strike action in Saskatchewan history dates back to the ten-week municipal and transit strike in Saskatoon in 1994, which involved around 2,300 workers.
The CUPE local represents 14,000 health-care workers who say they’ve been without a contract since March 31, 2023 and have gone more than 4½ years without a wage increase.
“Our members are frustrated but they continue to go to work day in and day out,” Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE 5430, said at the rally. “Because they care, looking after patients is our core value.
CUPE says the latest employer offer from the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations would move health-care workers farther from their homes, leave its members earning less than with the same role in Western Canada, and would not reflect the rise in the cost of living.
Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck expressed her support for the workers in a statement on Tuesday.
“The very people on the front lines who have kept our health-care system running against all odds haven’t had a contract in four years,” Beck said .
“We will continue to fight for fair contracts, competitive wages and a serious plan to recruit and retain the people our health-care system depends on.”
CBC News has reached out to the provincial government and is awaiting a response.
