Sask. labour leaders call for universal pharmacare program

Saskatoon labour leaders are pushing for a universal pharmacare program in the province.

Organizers of a Labour Day barbecue in Saskatoon took the opportunity to voice this political message on Monday.

"In Saskatchewan there are about 170,000 workers who have no pharmacare in their health plans," said Don MacDonald, acting president of the Saskatoon and District Labour Council. 

MacDonald and other labour leaders across the country are calling on the federal and provincial governments to come up with a universal program that would cover the costs of prescription drugs. 

"It would really nice if we had a level playing field where people didn't have to choose between rent or food or medicine," MacDonald said. 

Rough fall for unions: SFL

Saskatchewan Federation of Labour president Larry Hubich said Labour Day is a reminder about the tough situations labour unions across this province are facing. 

He says while economic downturns are nothing new, the government demand that unions cut wages by 3.5 per cent is unique. 

"What hasn't happened before is that the government is demanding public sector workers take a 3.5 per cent wage rollback before bargaining even starts," Hubich told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning. 

• Sask. premier wants to cut overall public sector worker compensation by 3.5%
• 3.5% wage reduction already worked into Sask. budget

That demand for a 3.5 per cent reduction was part of controversial Saskatchewan budget this spring. 

"I can't recall it and I've been in this line of work for 40 years and I have not seen the governement attempt to extract these kind of draconian concessions from workers," Hubich said.