Northern Health Region Braces For Potential Strike

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 15:58

 

 

Officials with a northern health region are worried about the potential loss of paramedics during a looming health strike in the province.

 

Roughly 2,700 unionized health care workers with the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan served 48-hour strike notice to the province’s 12 health regions and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency yesterday.

 

They could go on a full-scale strike as early as tomorrow if conciliation talks today fail.

 

The HSAS represents social workers, pharmacists, repiratory therapists, psychologists, paramedics, occupational therapists and trained addiction counsellors.

 

Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority spokesman Richard Petit feels the work of EMTs should be classified as essential services.

 

He says, if it isn’t, it will put the Buffalo Narrows-based health region in a bind if the strike goes ahead.

 

Petit says EMRs and nurses will be forced to pick up the slack.