‘We also want respect’: CUPE takes 99% strike mandate to Sask. Health Minster Cockrill’s local office

No date or form of job action was announced. Jalloh said bargaining is expected to resume Sept. 24 and stressed that withdrawing services is not the union’s preferred outcome.

“It is the last resort. We do not want a job action,” he said.

CUPE 5430 president Bashir Jalloh addresses health-care workers outside Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill’s constituency office in North Battleford on Sept. 15, 2026. Jalloh said 13,492 workers voted and 99 per cent supported strike action. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

CUPE 5430 members rally outside Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill’s constituency office in North Battleford on Sept. 15, 2026, after the union announced 99 per cent of ballots cast supported strike action. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

CUPE 5430 represents approximately 14,000 health-care workers who have been without a contract since 2023. Jalloh said workers have gone more than four years without a raise while negotiations have continued for more than three years.

The union said the cost of living in Saskatchewan increased by 33.7 per cent between 2012 and 2025, while CUPE 5430 workers received general wage increases totalling 14.32 per cent over the same period.

Jalloh said wages, the pace of bargaining and the government’s approach to the negotiations contributed to the near-unanimous result.

He identified a proposal from the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, the government’s bargaining agent, as a major sticking point, saying it would allow employees to be moved around Saskatchewan. CUPE also said the offer would increase contract staffing and leave its members earning less than comparable health-care workers elsewhere in Western Canada.

Jalloh argued that shifting existing employees would not solve staffing shortages and said the focus should instead be on recruitment and retention. He said more than half of CUPE 5430 members earn less than $50,000 annually and some cannot afford a vehicle, making the prospect of being moved particularly difficult.

He warned that job action could affect patient care in hospitals and long-term care facilities, particularly in rural communities that he said already face inadequate staffing.

Cindy Landrie, a licensed practical nurse in North Battleford, said the dispute extends beyond wages to working conditions and patient care.

“I think not only do we want fair wages, but we also want respect and be able to look after our patients safely,” Landrie said.

Landrie said retaining workers is necessary to provide that care and emphasized that she wants to remain in North Battleford.

“I want to stay here and work here and be with my people here,” she said.

Kimberly Plumb, a cook and Red Seal chef working in health care, speaks during the CUPE 5430 rally in North Battleford on Sept. 15, 2026. Plumb said she is considering leaving the sector because of wages. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

For Plumb, the vote brings two financial pressures together. She said striking could eliminate the only income in her household, but remaining in health care has also become difficult.

Plumb said her health-care position does not pay the Red Seal wages she could earn at a restaurant in a city. Although she prefers rural life, she said she is considering leaving health care for another field.

“And I don’t want to do that, because I love what I’m doing, and I love the residents that I work with,” Plumb said.

“I grew up with my dad working for SaskPower and being involved in the union and working his way up to management, so that’s why I got into healthcare, ’cause I knew I wanted to work for the government, ’cause it felt like a living wage…and being able to survive.”

“But it’s not at that point anymore… Unfortunately,” she said.

CUPE national president Mark Hancock also addressed the rally, saying fair compensation and safe staffing are essential to addressing recruitment and retention problems.

Jalloh said union representatives went to Cockrill’s office to deliver their message but were told the minister was not there.

battlefordsNOW has reached out to Cockrill for comment and is awaiting a response.

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘We also want respect’: CUPE takes 99% strike mandate to Sask. Health Minster Cockrill’s local office

What's Trending