A union representing 500 health care and social workers in Saskatchewan is worried about its future.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 600 said the province is taking steps to abolish the union and merge it with the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU), the bargaining unit for public servants and government workers.

"We think employees have the right to organize and form and join unions to engage in collective bargaining through a union of their own choosing," said Guy Marsden, the national representative for CUPE Local 600.

A government spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the Public Service Commission, which represents the government in its dealings with unions, plans to file an application to absorb Local 600 in the coming weeks.

"The unique nature of the CUPE Local 600 bargaining unit is changing, with the transition of the Valley View centre in Moose Jaw and the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford, and the Public Service Commission believes consolidating the units may benefit CUPE employees," the spokesperson said.

"For example, they may have access to more options for ongoing employment in the larger SGEU unit."

Union suspects belt-tightening

Marsden said the government is just trying to save money and fears it will walk back a promise to pay severance top-ups to people whose jobs are impacted by the impending closure of Valley View and the hospital in North Battleford.

He says those top-ups — which amount to another three months of salary after a person's last day of work — were won in a letter of understanding (LOU) signed during the last round of collective bargaining.

Marsden said 250 of the local's 500 members are counting on those top-ups.

'No guarantee'

The local and the commission met on Monday to discuss the government's plans.

"They did acknowledge that there's no guarantee that the LOU would continue as it is or continue at all if they were successful in convincing the labour relations board that the bargaining unit should be transferred into SGEU," said Marsden.

Asked if the government would honour the letter of understanding in the wake of a merger, the spokesperson responded, "Terms and conditions of employment and any transition matters will be addressed through the resulting bargaining and/or the Labour Relations Board process."

Marsden said the union is also worried that the larger union would not offer the same job classifications that CUPE Local 600 does.

The chapter says it will mount a defence against the proposed merger during the board's approval process.

Once the government's application is filed, it could take months for a public hearing to be scheduled, said Marsden.