One strike ends, another begins

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This article was published 27/08/2023 (772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As one group of public sector employees put away their picket signs over the weekend, another prepared to walk off the job.

Liquor Mart employees will resume stocking shelves and selling booze in almost all outlets across the province on Monday, after striking for the better part of the summer.

At the same time, call centre workers and their unionized colleagues at Manitoba Public Insurance will stage a walkout amid stalled contract negotiations.

“Today is bittersweet,” said Kyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, during a press conference at the Union Centre on Sunday afternoon.

“One strike has ended, and another is about to start.”

MGEU’s membership includes roughly 1,400 workers of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and approximately 1,700 employees who staff MPI service centres, from vehicle damage estimators to driving test facilitators.

Between Thursday and Sunday, the former employee group voted to ratify a new collective agreement that incorporates universal and compounding wage increases totalling approximately 12 per cent over four years.

The latest contract includes pay-scale adjustments, benefit enhancements, other targeted shift premiums and allowances, and a one-time lump-sum payment.

The union did not release a breakdown of support for the deal.

MGEU’s president and the Crown corporation traded jabs to coincide with the end of job action that began with an initial round of targeted strikes on July 19, leading up to a full-blown walkout on Aug. 8.

Ross said it was “really unfortunate” that members of the public and small businesses were harmed because “the government refused to bargain.”

In a statement, the Crown corporation said union leaders “conceded” that two per cent annual wage hikes would be accepted if special adjustments to accommodate Manitoba’s upcoming minimum wage increase were reallocated.

“The majority of our workers – our lowest paid workers – (will) get less than the 15 per cent to 25 per cent they would have otherwise received, so that these pay scale adjustment commitments could be spread more broadly,” per the statement.

It adds: “MBLL has not had a strike since the 1970s, so we appreciate that the last six weeks may have shaken public confidence in us.”

The employer announced all Liquor Marts will be open on Aug. 28, although two locations – Winnipeg’s Eastwinds site and a Brandon-area store at Victoria Avenue and 10th Street – will be exclusive to commercial customers until later this week.

Liquor vendors and bars can expect deliveries to resume next week.

The few outlets that have remained open in recent weeks have been reliant on managers and replacement staff.

Once MPI employees go on strike, insurance brokers and automobile repair industry partners will ensure Manitobans continue to have access to the services they require, said Ward Keith, chairman of the Crown corporation.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba, Automotive Trades Association of Manitoba, and Manitoba Motor Dealers Association have all signaled they will make adjustments to serve customers.

MPI’s contact centre is slated to continue accepting and processing personal injury claims, collision claims and total theft claims while other damages — including hail-related claims – can be reported directly to an accredited repair shop.

Drivers will be able to complete service transactions, including license renewals and payments, at approved brokers.

Cancelled estimating appointments will be diverted to repair shops.

And while all road testing is suspended indefinitely, MPI has indicated it plans to resume these services using contracted providers.

Citing his 15 years of experience working in MPI’s information technology department, the MGEU president said there will be significant disruptions regardless of temporary changes.

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Ross said the employer’s claims it is offering a four-year contract worth 17 per cent in monetary value “grossly inflates” the real offer.

That figure is misleading, given it takes into account non-wage items, one-time payments and other increases that flow only to some members, he said, adding the offer on the table would provide half of all MPI workers with raises of two per cent annually.

“Our members at MPI have told us that their priority is to negotiate a wage increase that helps all members keep up with the soaring cost of inflation,” the union leader told reporters.

Premier Heather Stefanson could avert imminent job action by lifting a “restrive wage mandate,” much like she did for Liquor Mart workers, he added.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.