“I know that workers are eager for the Minister to hear firsthand from their experiences, and the solutions and ideas that they have,” said Vicki Mowat, Saskatchewan NDP Deputy Leader.
“As the team who has been advocating for these workers from the beginning, we are reaching out to help set up this shift as soon as possible. We hope that Minister Jenson takes us up on this as soon as possible.”
On Wednesday, Minister Lori Carr responded to a question from Mowat asking Jenson to commit to working a shift at the Frances Morrison Library in Saskatoon saying:
“I know that my colleague would be more than happy to do that, and he has confirmed with me that he would.”
“Workers are expressing worry and concern about the situations they are facing on a daily basis and so it is essential the Minister to make this a priority,” Mowat said.
“We need to ensure that the safety of workers is not a partisan political issue. That is why we are committed to working with the Minister to ensure that this shift happens as soon as possible.”
On Tuesday, several harrowing stories of experiences of library workers were shared with the public, including:
-Visitors to the library suffering from drug overdoses inside libraries;
-Staff members being assaulted;
-A staff member nearly being abducted, and more.
“Workers deserve and need support,” said Nathaniel Teed, Saskatchewan NDP Labour Shadow Minister. “The Minister’s language seemed to suggest that he didn’t understand what they were facing, or what he could do to support them.
“The sooner he works this shift alongside library workers, the faster he will see the need to act.”
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