A government news conference about the pending Supreme Court hearing of the carbon tax challenge, slated for 1 p.m. on Monday at the Saskatoon Cabinet Office, was derailed by an SEIU-West protest.

SEIU-West says, in a statement, that they are frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations. The union says it’s members and leaders were refused an audience with Premier Scott Moe and Labour Minister Don Morgan.

SEIU-West President Barbara Cape says they want to have a meeting with the Premier and Ministers of Health, so they can get them to listen to front-line health care workers. She adds they have been writing the Premiers office for well over a year and getting no responses back, so they decided they would stage the protest to get a response from the Premier himself.

So a sit-in is now underway. They say they will remain at the Saskatoon Cabinet office as long as it takes.

Cape says they decided to take this step in their action to get the government to invest in front-line healthcare and put some money at the bargaining table. She says they have been without a collective agreement since April 1st of 2017, well over 1200 days. Cape says that is far too long, especially in the midst of a pandemic where they have been short staffed, with additional pressures and an incredible work and they are still without a bargaining agreement.

Demonstrations started In August at 20 locations in one day in Saskatoon when the union said work-load and stress during COVID-19 is being executed at 2016 rates of pay.

The union represents 13-thousand people across Saskatchewan.