MGEU heads back to bargaining table as 11,160 provincial civil servants await word on possible strike

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/11/2023 (732 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The union representing thousands of provincial government employees is preparing to strike as negotiators returned to the bargaining table Wednesday.

While the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union says there is good reason to believe that the new NDP government may take “a more fair and constructive approach at the bargaining table,” it is only “prudent” to prepare for a large-scale strike.

The 11,160 civil servants — including correctional, conservation and probation officers; social workers, public health, drinking-water and workplace health and safety inspectors; snowplow operators; park and campground attendants, fire rangers and sheriffs — have been without a contract since March 24.

In a recent notice to members, the union said it’s working with legal counsel and the province on an essential-services agreement that will set out work functions required during a strike, and how many members would be affected.

Manitobans have already dealt with three labour disputes that interrupted public services this year.

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries began a full, provincewide strike Aug. 8 and ratified a new deal 19 days later. Land title office workers at Teranet Manitoba went on strike July 21, but the union took the dispute to the Manitoba Labour Board after a deal was not reached in 60 days. At Manitoba Public Insurance, a strike that lasted 65 days and ended Nov. 1 was the first in the Crown corporation’s 52-year history and one of the longest-ever public-sector labour disruptions in Manitoba.

Now, for the first time in the union’s history, the provincial civil service voted on Oct. 6 to give their bargaining committee a strike mandate after rejecting the government’s offer of two per cent annual wage increases over four years.

When asked if Manitobans should prepare for another strike by 11,160 civil servants, Adrien Sala, the minister responsible for the public service, said it was inappropriate for him to comment during bargaining.

“We do want to get the message out there that we value, respect and care for our civil servants and are looking forward to seeing how this process goes,” Sala said.

The minister and other elected officials have salaries that are regulated under the Legislative Assembly Act and tied to the rate of inflation. They received raises of 3.3 per cent this year, and are on track for forecast increases of 3.6 per cent in both 2024 and 2025.

In mid-November, the MGEU launched a radio and online advertising campaign in support of a fair civil service deal.

The campaign encourages Manitobans to send a message to Premier Wab Kinew “in support of fixing provincial public services and providing a fair deal for provincial workers.”

The union’s “catch up, keep up” campaign follows several challenging years at the bargaining table with the former Progressive Conservative government that froze wages and cut the civil service by 12 per cent. Coupled with high inflation, “workers’ paycheques are not going as far as they used to,” the union wrote in a notice to members.

“Our union is only as strong as our members’ resolve and our willingness to stand together when the time comes. If MGEU members truly want to catch up, and keep up with the cost of living, we must all stand up and show our strength.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca