MGEU, MPI return to bargaining table

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This article was published 25/10/2023 (715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stalled negotiations in a lengthy and bitter strike by Manitoba Public Insurance workers could be thrown into drive Thursday as lead negotiators return to the bargaining table.

Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union president Kyle Ross said the two parties will meet with a conciliator for the first time after NDP Justice Minister Matt Wiebe overhauled the Crown corporation’s board of directors Oct. 20.

“Our committee is ready to meet as much as required to get this resolved,” Ross said Wednesday. “We’re hopeful that when we come to the table we can have fruitful conversations.”

Wiebe issued a mandate letter to MPI instructing the Crown auto insurer to enter into good faith negotiations and set new bargaining dates, instead of seeking binding arbitration. He also appointed a new board chair: Carmen Nedohin.

MPI and the union’s last bargaining date was Sept. 26; 1,700 MGEU members went on strike Aug. 28.

Ross was unable to speak to future bargaining dates Wednesday, but said he hopes to start rebuilding the union’s relationship with MPI at the meeting.

“It’s never fast enough when your members are on strike to get a strike resolved. We’re always trying to do what’s right for our members, but it’s a difficult situation for everyone.”

Ross said “it feels like Day 1,000” for striking employees, who have seen the seasons change on the picket lines as cold weather sets in.

Meantime, disruptions to driver testing have also impacted employees in Manitoba’s transportation department, which is gearing up for annual snow clearing operations.

A provincial spokesperson confirmed 18 Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure staff are waiting to take their Class 3 road test, which have been suspended owing to the MPI strike.

According to the province, the strike hasn’t impacted its snow clearing plans to date, but the department is reviewing “alternatives to obtain testing for these staff.”

“It could impact the upcoming snow season,” Ross said Wednesday. “It impacts the whole economy. It’s been frustrating and hard, but the strike impacts all Manitobans.”

Binding arbitration remains an option for the union, Ross said. Both parties have the option to apply for arbitration if strike action goes on for 60 days, which is quickly approaching.

“Our goal is to bargain a deal at the table,” Ross said. “We know a deal at the table gets voted on by our members. They get to accept it, they get to take ownership of that deal. The employer, as well, has ownership of that deal.

“It’s a far better resolution to a conflict than going to binding arbitration, where potentially neither side could be happy with what comes out of it.”

In a statement, MPI communications manager Kristy Rydz said the board met with MPI’s management team and directed it to return to the table and resume negotiations with MGEU.

Nedohin was not made available for an interview Wednesday.

“MPI and MGEU are meeting tomorrow afternoon, with the assistance of a conciliator, with a goal to end the strike as soon as possible,” Rydz said.

Ross said wages remain the main point of conflict. Prior to the Oct. 3 provincial election, MPI made its latest offer, which it said included total wage adjustments of 12.5 per cent and one-time signing bonus worth 2.8 per cent of average salary.

Wiebe also directed MPI to rescind its offer Oct. 20.

The union is looking for MPI to come to the table with cost-of-living wage increases comparable to what Manitoba lawmakers will receive, Ross said.

The premier and MLAs will receive raises of 3.3 per cent this year, and forecast increases of 3.6 per cent in both 2024 and 2025.

Salaries are regulated under the Legislative Assembly Act and determined by the Manitoba Commissioner for MLA Pay, Allowances and Retirement Benefits, based on the province’s rate of inflation.

Meanwhile, bargaining for a new contract for civil service workers is expected to resume once the NDP government is up to speed on the file, Ross said.

Provincial civil servants voted to give their MGEU bargaining committee a strike mandate for the first time, with the results of the vote revealed Oct. 6.

The union, which represents 11,000 civil service members, also rejected a four-year contract offer by the former Progressive Conservative government.

“Our bargaining committee is ready to go, but when a new government takes over there’s a lot of information they got to take in,” Ross said. “We want them to come prepared and ready to bargain.”

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca