In honour of Labour Day, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour is asking the province to come up with a plan to keep workers safe during the fourth wave.
They would also like to see a strong recovery plan that emphasizes the needs of workers and includes a job creation plan.
In a release, SFL President Lori Johb says Saskatchewan workers have had a tough year, but the government’s rush to remove public health restrictions has left workers stuck in the middle of a fourth wave.
“Front line workers are still at risk of contracting the virus, and our health care system is once again being pushed to the brink,” said Johb. “This Labour Day, we must ensure that Saskatchewan workers are kept safe, and that public health measures are reintroduced so that we can stop the virus once and for all.”
The SFL says they want to see a reintroduction of a mask mandate for all indoor spaces and requiring proof of vaccine or rapid testing to attend large gatherings.
“We must take action now if we are going to be able to stop the virus and finally focus on a pandemic recovery that puts workers first,” said Johb. “Recovery pland must include the creation of good jobs that offer decent wages, benefits, and a path to unionization, a stronger public health system, and an improved social safety net including universal pharmacare and childcare that would improve the lives of countless working people in the province.”
The Federation says the province’s approach to COVID-19 has not been good for Saskatchewan’s working people. According to them, recent numbers show the province has the worst jobs record in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, and Saskatchewan became the only province where unemployment rate increased.