The SGEU Public Service/Government Employment (PS/GE) bargaining unit is again expressing concern and anger at what it sees as the provincial government’s continued failure to protect correctional officers and young offender facilities.
The union says this week, it was confirmed that 18 inmates and five staff have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Regina Correctional Centre alone. At the same time, the government has not provided rapid tests for these facilities, and staff have not been prioritized to receive the vaccine
Spokesman Barry Nowoselsky says, “There is simply no logical explanation for the government’s callous approach when it comes to protecting correctional officers and young offender facilities workers.”
He says, “These essential workers can’t work from home – they have no choice but to report to work every day where they are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19.” Nowoselsky says the government’s refusal to take appropriate action also jeopardizes the health and safety of their families and those they interact with in their communities.
Earlier this year, the SGEU PS/GE expressed concern when, it says, the government ignored their own health officials’ advice by not prioritizing correctional facilities in the vaccine roll-out plan. A report by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), recommended that “shared living settings” (including correctional facilities) be given priority early in Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout because they are at higher risk for COVID-19 outbreaks. Instead, staff at correctional and young offender facilities were included in the same age-based vaccination plan as the general public.
For months, SGEU PS/GE representatives have been calling on the government to provide rapid testing kits for use in the province’s correctional centres and young offender facilities. Despite admitting to having a stockpile of these tests in storage, the union says that the government has not explained why they refuse to make these kits available to help detect potential COVID-19 infections in inmates and staff.
