CORRECTED: SFL convention to focus on privatization, inflation, government inaction

[CORRECTED: The photo originally posted with this article was of Barbara Cape, president of SEIU-West, rather than Lori Johb, president of SFL.]

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) annual convention is returning in-person for the first time in three years from Oct. 26 to 28 at the Queensbury Convention Centre in Regina.

The event is the 66^th SFL convention. It also marks the 50-year anniversary of the Saskatchewan Occupational Health and Safety Act — the first legislation of its kind in North America. A panel discussion on the history and legacy of OHS in Saskatchewan will take place on the first day of the convention.

“We’re so pleased to be gathering once again in person for the first time in three years,” said Lori Johb, SFL president. “Workers have been through so much these past few years — a global pandemic, the worst inflation in 40 years, a lack of good jobs, and a crisis in health care have all pushed working people to their limit.

“This convention is the perfect time for us all to come together in solidarity as workers, to speak up and tell politicians and employers that Saskatchewan workers deserve so much better.”

The theme of the SFL convention this year is “Speaking Up!”

In addition to standard convention reports and elections, issues at the top of the agenda include privatization, inflation, and what the SFL sees as government inaction to help workers with current challenges.

According to the SFL’s news release, “Workers must also speak up against privatization, against the corporate greed that is driving inflation and a government that is doing nothing to help workers make ends meet while the cost of living is skyrocketing.”

The SFL has openly criticized the policies and priorities of the Scott Moe government over the last few years.

For example, Johb called Moe’s announcement of $500 rebate cheques earlier this year “suspicious” and said it was obviously motivated by politics rather than a sincere desire to help Saskatchewanians.

Other presentations at the convention include a KAIROS Indigenous blanket exercise; Enough Already SK, which aims to eliminate workplace sexual harassment; the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which is protesting the privatization of public service jobs and selloff of public assets by the Sask Party; and a discussion of minimum wage by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

A rally at the Legislature will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27.

The convention concludes Friday with an address by Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck, a bearpit session with NDP MLAs, and the election of the SFL president and secretary-treasurer.