The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union (SGEU) has filed an Unfair Labour Practice application with the Labour Relations Board against the Saskatchewan government.

In a media release, SGEU said they are fighting back against Premier Wall's recent proposals to roll back public sector wages and have employees take unpaid days off.

“This government is not only expecting public sector workers to pay the price for its own financial waste and mismanagement, it’s doing it in a way that breaches their right to bargain collectively in good faith with their employer,” SGEU President Bob Bymoen said in the release, which went on to say that the government approach “undermines the union’s right to bargain on behalf of its members.”
SGEU says that the Unfair Labour Practice suit will argue that “the government is subverting the bargaining process by, among other things, laying out its financial mandate through a public relations campaign instead of at the bargaining table.”

The province is facing a $1.2 billion-dollar deficit and has proposed the cuts as a way to balance the budget.

Just this week, the government announced they would be privatizing cleaning services at 95 government-owned buildings in the province – a move expected to save $3.5 million.

Effective April 1, a 3.5% wage rollback will take effect for MLAs, ministers and government staff.