SGEU members at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency are at an impasse in contract negotiations and have requested a provincial Labour Relations Officer be appointed to help out the 2 sides come to an agreement.
Co-chair of the SGEU bargaining committee, Trent Edwards, says one of the outstanding issues is a request to have the employer move a percentage of their contribution from the benefits plan to the pension plan, because right now the contribution rate is more than needed to fund the benefits of members.
On the other hand, Edwards says, the pension contribution is at the low end compared to similar unionized health care providers, and the switch wouldn’t cost the employer anything more.
About 700 union members at the Cancer Agency have been without a contract since April of 2018.
Bargaining began in March of last year.