HSAS union will get a new contract package soon but this will be surely the last and the final contract package from SAHO and the bargaining teams for the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan (HSAS) and health employers, who will be sitting down today to discuss the issue.

SAHO had earlier offered an average wage increase of 11% over four years, which according to them would make the wage rate equal to the average rate of the Western Canadian for all base classifications, but now the reports have revealed that the new contract for three-thousand specialized health-care professionals in Saskatchewan has offered a 7.5% wage increase over four years along with supplemental employee benefits for maternity, paternity and adoption leave, increases to shift and weekend hourly premiums etc.

Also, the standby rate for emergency medical services, employees who are not full-time workers, has been increased to $5 an hour whereas the union had been seeking an 18.5% hike over the same time frame.

Regarding the situation, Susan Antosh, President and CEO of SAHO, said that this is definitely the final offer and the organization will not be offering any more than this and thus, they have asked the union to take it to a vote. “This is a very substantial offer, it’s extremely competitive,” said Antosh.