Saskatchewan health care workers lose more than $1,000 in wages
While many people live paycheck to paycheck and are constantly waiting for money to arrive in their bank account, it is a very scary time when the money doesn’t arrive.
For many health care workers in Saskatchewan, their bank accounts aren’t as full as they should be because people are going to work and not getting paid.
“Our members are missing hundreds, and in some cases over a thousand dollars, from their paycheques, which is unacceptable,” said Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE 5430 health care workers.
The problem stems from a persistent failure of the payroll system.
AIMS payroll software was initially launched in 2021 to manage payroll, scheduling, human resources and finances for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) – but was quickly reverted to the legacy system due to issues.
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Two months ago, the union relaunched the program in the province. Since then, problems have been mounting, according to CUPE Local 5430.
The union said health workers were on their third pay cycle with the AIMS relaunch and feared the worst.
“The system is set up in such a way that when there is a problem with your salary, you create a ticket,” Jalloh said.
“Sometimes they respond, but usually it takes two or three weeks for people to get paid and get no response. Our members are very concerned.”
And with people waiting to be paid, frustration grows.
“We reached out to SHA leadership, and all they said was, ‘We’re working hard to try to fix this.’ We’re working hard to fix this? People have mortgages to pay. People’s checks are bouncing. We can’t keep going like this.”
Even after expressing his concerns, Jalloh said some workers are still not receiving what they are owed.
“There are cases where someone was short $1,088 and when we raised the issue with the employer, all they did was send them a check for $375.”
“At a time when gas, rent and groceries are increasingly expensive, it is essential that our health care providers are compensated for their work. We need the SHA and the provincial government to take urgent action to address these issues and ensure this does not happen again.”
CUPE is calling on the SHA and the provincial government to take immediate action.
Global News reached out to the SHA for comment, but the information was forwarded to 3sHealth. The agency has not yet responded to requests for comment on this matter.
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