The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Saskatchewan government and its employees have come to terms on a new four-year contract. The agreement, which covers some 10,000 public service employees across executive government, is retroactive to Oct. 1, 2012 and runs until Sept. 30, 2016. For the employees, thereâ??s a seven per cent total pay raise. For the government, thereâ??s what it calls â??the ability to remain competitive in the labour market.â?ù â??I am pleased that we now have a collective agreement in place,â?ù Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission Nancy Heppner said. â??The cooperation of both parties is appreciated and we look forward to continuing to work together with the union and its members to serve the people of Saskatchewan.â?ù Members of the Saskatchewan Government Employees Union voted in favour of the deal at ratification meetings held in May. But Barry Nowoselsky, chair of the unionâ??s bargaining unit, was not overly enthused by the contract. â??It was a difficult and disappointing round of bargaining,â?ù said Nowoselsky. He criticized the provinceâ??s essential-services legislation, saying it â??makes it virtually impossible to have free collective bargaining.â?ù Heppner was complimentary toward the government workforce. â??The Government of Saskatchewan relies on the high calibre and professional support of our SGEU members,â?ù Heppner said. â??They work hard to meet the needs of the people of the province and take pride in the services they provide.â?ù â?? Compiled from Government of Saskatchewan and SGEU news releases
