Last November, community-based organization (CBO) members from SGEU, SEIU-West, and CUPE Saskatchewan met with the Honourable Gene Makowsky, Minister of Social Services. The group shared about the need for multi-year funding and offered ideas about how to improve staff retention and recruitment.
On April 18, the presidents of the tri-union CBO committee, sent a joint letter to Minister Makowsky requesting a follow up meeting. Read the letter below.
Dear Minister Makowsky:
We are writing you today as members of the Tri-union CBO Committee, representing workers in the Community-Based Organization (CBO) sector for SEIU-West, SGEU and CUPE. We appreciated the opportunity for our members to share their concerns with you earlier this year as well as your offer for a follow-up meeting.
In your letter received on January 9, 2024 [MR: 1287GM (778-23)], you acknowledged the importance of a stable and sustainable CBO sector. While we welcome that statement, we are looking forward to a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss several items:
- The uptake among CBOs on the three-year funding option offered by the ministry that was highlighted in your correspondence.
- The absence of a commitment to stable, multi-year funding for the sector in the provincial budget.
To seek clarity on the budget 2024-25 increase of $13.7 million to the ministry for community-based service providers, the new Quality Assurance Unit and the $500,000 earmarked to support after-hours service, we would like to take you up on the offer for a follow-up meeting, preferably as soon as possible and before the spring session adjourns until the fall.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Barbara Cape
President, SEIU-West
Tracey Sauer
President, SGEU
Kent Peterson
President, CUPE Saskatchewan
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