Sask. MLAs ask legislative service to review salary increase formula
Taxpayers Federation says MLA salaries should freeze
A committee of Saskatchewan government MLAs has asked legislative services to review a scheduled increase in their salaries.
Saskatchewan MLA salary increases are tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for that year. Using that formula would mean an increase of 6.8 per cent from 2022.
Both Premier Scott Moe and Opposition Leader Carla Beck said MLAs would not take the full amount.
Last week, Moe said, "we haven't landed on what that might look like, but I think it's fair to say that it isn't going to be what's recommended by the formula," and Beck said the increase is, "not on."
A government spokesperson said Tuesday that legislative services is "currently preparing options for adjusting the formula to address concerns shared by both Government and Opposition MLAs about this year's increase." They said the board of internal economy (BOIE) expects to meet again and adjust the formula before the salary increase comes into effect on April 1.
Opposition House Leader Nicole Sarauer is on the an all-party BOIE that reviews issues like salary increases.
"We've been very clear that the pay raise of [6.8 per cent] is not appropriate. Legislative services are going to take a look at it and come back to BOIE with a proposal before March 31," Sarauer said Monday.
A 6.8 per cent increase this year would see most MLAs receive an extra $7,023, for a total salary of $110,303.
Moe receives the same base salary as an MLA, but his additional allowance as premier is $75,121. A 6.8 per cent increase would amount to a $12,131 raise, for a total salary of $190,537.
WATCH| Should Sask MLAs take a 7% pay increase?:
Taxpayers federation calls for salary freeze
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) said it does not think MLAs should be getting a raise.
"Taxpayers across the province are currently struggling to put adequate amounts of groceries on the table and gas in their vehicles. If on April 1, MLAs start raking in a $7,000 pay raise, it shows a big disconnect between the politicians of this province and the people who they're supposed to be representing," said CTF prairie director Gage Haubrich.
Haubrich pointed out that B.C. MLAs voted not to take their automatic eight per cent increase in December 2022. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also denied an automatic raise and took an $11,000 pay cut.
"I would say that a complete freeze is a necessary step right now. They need to do what's right in this scenario and that is a zero per cent raise," Haubrich said.
He said going forward, the CPI-tied annual increase should be re-examined.
"Most people in the province aren't guaranteed a raise every year no matter what type of job they're holding. I'm not sure that we need to guarantee that for MLAs," he said.
Haurbrich said Saskatchewan MLAs are "fairly compensated" and make more than their counterparts in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, two provinces with similar populations.
Labour president says workers are watching
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President Lori Johb said a raise of 6.8 per cent would be a "head-scratcher."
"I believe that everybody should be making more money, but you can't give yourself a big raise and not be able to do the same the people that are providing service across the province for a very long time especially through the pandemic."
Johb said workers have not seen their salaries increase to keep up with inflation over the last year.
"I hope that when workers are at the bargaining table now they are paying attention to this, because it's a good starting point."
Some larger government employee groups with negotiated contracts are seeing two per cent increases this year.
In 2020, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation ratified a four-year deal. It saw zero per cent in year one and two per cent over the following three years.
The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses' five-year agreement ends in 2024. It saw two years of zero per cent increases in 2018 and 2019, followed by two per cent over the next three years.
In 2019, nearly 5,000 Crown workers at SaskTel, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskWater, DirectWest, and SecureTek reached contract agreements.
SaskTel's agreement was for five years and included a wage freeze in its first two years, followed by raises of one per cent, two per cent and two per cent in the following years.
SaskEnergy, SaskWater and SaskPower got six-year contracts, with wage freezes in the first two years, a one per cent raise in the third year and two per cent raises for the following three years.
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