REGINA, SK - The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU), representing over 750 professional services members at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, is sounding the alarm on a leadership decision-making crisis that is dismantling the institution from the inside out.

“Our members are being told to do more with less, while those at the top have never had it better,”

While front-line staff have faced a wave of more than 110 employees losing their jobs since April 2025 and more expected this spring, Sask. Polytechnic out-of-scope management continues to collect record-setting compensation. With more programs suspended and student services are gutted, the top three executives continue to cost the institution over $1.3 million annually, with President & CEO Dr. Larry Rosia averaging nearly $600,000 in recent years.

“Our members are being told to do more with less, while those at the top have never had it better,” said Deb Zawada-Wiebe, Bargaining Chair for SGEU members in the Professional Services Bargaining Unit (PSBU). “We are seeing a ‘management-first’ mentality where the employees who deliver the services are treated as overhead, while executives from out of province call for ‘fiscal restraints’ from their staff members.”

SGEU warns that the current trajectory of Sask. Polytech leadership is creating a cycle of decline:

  • Recruitment crisis: The constant threat of layoffs, unsustainable workload demands and a “culture of fear” on campus are creating further barriers to recruit and maintain high-quality employees to deliver the level of service that post-secondary students in Saskatchewan rightfully deserve.
  • Student displacement: The suspension of 30 programs for the Fall 2026 intake means hundreds of students will be forced to look outside the province for training, many of whom may never return to the Saskatchewan labour market.
  • Massive service cuts: The closure of campus bookstores in Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, the shuttering of the Moose Jaw printing shop, and the automation of student call centers have eliminated vital resources for students.
  • Indigenous enrollment collapse: Indigenous student enrollment has plummeted from 32% in 2020 to just 10% today, signaling a failure to meet the province’s reconciliation and workforce inclusion goals.

“We are seeing a management team that is completely disconnected from the reality on the ground,” said SGEU president Tracey Sauer. “Leadership lives as far away as Alberta and Ontario while claiming there is no money for the staff who actually keep the doors open. You cannot maintain a world-class polytechnic by cutting the very programs and professional services that train our future workforce. These cuts aren’t just hitting our members; they are shutting the door on Saskatchewan students at a time when our industries are desperate for trained, skilled workers while leadership continues to protect executive salaries that far outpace other public sector leaders in Saskatchewan.”

SGEU is calling on the Board of Directors and the Provincial Government to halt any further ‘workforce adjustments’ planned for this spring and to prioritize a return to student-centered, front-line-focused funding.

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For more information, please contact:

Zach Elliott
Communications Officer, SGEU
Phone: 306-775-7877
zelliott@sgeu.org

About SGEU:

The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union has been working together for Saskatchewan since 1913. Today, SGEU represents 20,000 members across the province, including 750 professional services workers at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in the Professional Services Bargaining Unit (PSBU), who help keep campuses running and support student success every day.