February 27th: Update to Membership
Let’s Talk about…. Wages
Last week, the Premier of Alberta addressed Albertans in a pre-budget speech – there was no good news. Although it was stated that there will be no spending cuts in the upcoming provincial budget, it was indicated that there would be more fiscal restraint than previously predicted. This likely means that the budget line for post-secondary will remain status quo from the previous budget. This is not a good sign in a bargaining year.
This is a significant year for bargaining in this province that will see approximately 200,000 Alberta public-sector workers at the bargaining table. The province’s commitment to fiscal restraint, and a pledge to put large chunks of surplus (estimated at this time to be between $2B – $10B) into the Heritage Saving Trust Fund (HSTF) means there is nothing left to provide post-secondary association members with the wage increases they deserve.
I believe the timing of last week’s announcement is no coincidence. The Government of Alberta (GoA) passed legislation in recent years that forces the use of secret mandate letters onto public-sector employers that they must follow through the bargaining process. The Public Sector Employers Act reads, in part:
3(1) The Minister (Finance) may issue directives that an employer must follow before, during and after engaging in collective bargaining or a related process.
4(1) A directive issued by the Minister under this Act is confidential and may not be disclosed by the employer to any third party without prior consent of the Minister.
SAIT is interested in collective agreement articles regarding their management rights and direction of the workforce, while the GoA is driving the wage agenda. For the most part, both SAIT and SAFA are generally happy with the current Collective Agreement, but both parties recognize articles that need updates to language for clarity – these are issues that we can bargain at the table. But what are we to expect for a wage offer and how do we bargain with a third party only represented by a mandate letter?
It’s an educated guess to assume that SAFA members will be offered what the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) were offered a few weeks ago: 7.5% over 4 years (2%, 2%, 1.75% & 1.75%). In fact, this is likely the offer to all public sector employees this year. This is not enough to catch up to inflation – the cost of living in Alberta between July 2017 and December 2023 rose 22.8%. In this same period, SAFA members received a 2.75% increase in real wages. If we are offered numbers similar to the UNA, we will only fall farther behind. It’s nice that this government wants to save for the future and fund social programs through the HSTF, but that will not help SAFA members’ current needs – meeting the ever-increasing cost of living.
SAFA’s bargaining team is looking forward to meeting with SAIT’s team in the upcoming weeks to have fulsome discussions and reach conclusions that benefit both parties’ interests. The unanswered question remains: is the GoA committed to doing the same, or are they willing to test the will of memberships across the province in exercising the powers granted to all unions and associations?
In Solidarity,
Craig Coolahan
Labour Relations Officer, SAFA