50 hours, no breaks: Union says change necessary for medical technologists in Saskatchewan

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 7:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Dexter Mercer thought becoming a aesculapian radiation technologist would acceptable him onto a way for success. Instead, his occupation astatine Battlefords Union Hospital has go a nightmare. 

"I've personally experienced moving implicit 50 hours consecutive with nary longer than 45 minutes betwixt callbacks, leaving small to nary country for rest," Mercer said, recounting an incidental from a fewer years ago. 

Exhaustion and deficiency of slumber yet took its toll and arsenic Mercer pulled into the infirmary parking lot he mislaid consciousness. The conveyance slammed into a lamppost, causing thousands of dollars of harm to the vehicle. 

While the incidental is horrifying, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 5430, the union representing aesculapian technologists and technicians successful Saskatchewan, says it is becoming much and much mean arsenic positions spell unfilled. 

Technologists are a key portion of the province's wellness service. They perform tests and analyse results that are indispensable for doctors to marque a diagnosis or to state a diligent good to spell home.

"If there's nary technologists, there's nary 1 there. The ER closes," said Sharlise Tubman, a aesculapian technologist that works successful Lumsden. 

That's wherefore the national brought 15 of its members to the provincial legislature connected Monday, calling connected the provincial authorities to provide more health-care funding aft its members raised concerns of under-staffing and increased workload. 

CUPE 5430 represents 906 medical technologists and technicians successful the province.

Union president Bashir Jalloh described technologists arsenic the cardinal pieces of the aesculapian strategy that nary 1 ever gets to see. Despite the cardinal relation technologists play successful the province's health-care system, they are treated terribly, according to Jalloh. 

 "Health-care workers, successful our province, including technologists, are underpaid and undervalued and this is not thing that we tin continue," said Jalloh.

Survey shows declining authorities of care

CUPE released a study titled Still Waiting on Monday to item the deficiency of support. That study highlights that of the 156 members that responded to a national survey, 87.8 per cent of them said their workload had accrued successful the past 5 years.

According to CUPE that is an summation from 81.7 per cent that said their workload had accrued erstwhile they were asking successful a akin survey conducted successful 2017.  

That accrued workload has affected the prime of services provided to patients, according to 89.7 per cent of the survey respondents, portion 91 per cent accidental it had an interaction connected the wellness and information of patients and residents. 

It has besides affected the morale of unit negatively, according to 91 per cent of the survey's respondents. That's a important leap from the 79.5 per cent of respondents that provided the same effect successful 2017. 

WATCH | Union says caller study reveals aesculapian tech short-staffing situation successful Saskatchewan hospitals: 

The survey was conducted successful July 2024. It had a effect complaint of 17.2 per cent, portion CUPE says its 2017 survey had a 22.4 per cent effect rate.

In the latest survey, 79.5 per cent identified "working short" arsenic the origin astir identified arsenic contributing to workload issues; 74.4 per cent of respondents besides identified "vacant positions not being filled."

CUPE says astir fractional of the survey respondents accidental health-care installation closures and work disruptions are the effect of understanding. 

Union calls for much funding

The national is calling connected the state to summation baseline backing for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, dedicated to hiring further aesculapian technologists and technicians successful bid to code workload issues and summation diligent safety. 

It besides wants the state to revise its Health Human Resources Action Plan, a cardinal portion of Saskatchewan's program to prosecute and bid much health-care workers.

The revisions would grow recruitment incentives for caller aesculapian technologist and technician graduates portion introducing new retention incentives for those presently employed by the SHA. 

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill did not dependable unfastened to those projected changes erstwhile asked aft question period connected Monday. 

"This is precisely what we're focused on. Again, taking the vacancies due to the fact that arsenic I said, the vacancies, that's what benignant of starts each these issues happening, and filling those vacancies and past getting the departments to a much unchangeable position,"  Cockrill said. 

Finally, CUPE is calling for the Ministry of Health to let the a caller woody to beryllium struck betwixt the province's bargaining committee and the national that would code wage increases which support gait with ostentation and the issues of call-back hours, scheduled standby and abrogation leave.

CUPE 5430 workers person been without a declaration since April 2023. 

Jalloh says declaration discussions person been hard arsenic helium says the province's negotiating squad is failing to instrumentality their demands seriously. 

Cockrill declined to code ongoing bargaining.

If and erstwhile a caller declaration is signed betwixt the state and CUPE 5430, Mercer whitethorn not beryllium astir to spot it. 

"We person twins connected the mode and I just, I request to beryllium capable to beryllium astatine location sometimes," helium told media. 

Mercer plans to permission his full-time occupation successful April. His position is acceptable to beryllium filled — at slightest temporarily — by a declaration technologist, Cockrill confirmed.