Health strikes continue in 3 Saskatchewan cities

Rotating health care strikes continued in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert on Thursday, with about 400 workers on the picket line.

It's the latest job action from the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan.

The union represents about 3,000 workers from a wide variety of health fields, including paramedics, hospital pharmacists, public health inspectors, and speech language pathologists.

They've been without a contract since March 31, 2009.

Wages are a big factor in the dispute. The union wants the contract settled through binding arbitration, but the provincial government and the management group called the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations has rejected the request.

HSAS, which launched the strikes on May 9, has vowed to escalate job action, but a full-scale strike can't happen.

That's because about half the workers have been deemed essential under the province's essential services legislation.