Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) employees have voted to reject the Crown corporation’s latest contract offer, setting the stage for strike action.
The latest contract from MPI, intended to replace one that expired in September 2022, offered a 2% annual wage increase.
Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU) said that its MPI-employed members “overwhelmingly” rejected this offer and voted in favour of a strike mandate.
“MPI members believe it’s not too much to ask for a fair wage increase that helps them and their families keep up with the soaring cost of living,” said MGEU president Kyle Ross in a press release. “Unfortunately, MPI’s final offer was limited to 2% annual wage increases by the Stefanson government’s restrictive wage mandate.”
The union has yet to issue an official strike date but said preparations are underway. It also requested that MPI return to the negotiation table “as soon as possible” to reach a settlement and “avert any job action.”
“No one wants to go on strike,” Ross said further. “These are people’s livelihoods we’re talking about here. But sometimes, we have to take a stand. No matter who you are or where you work, your wages aren’t going as far as they used to, and you deserve a fair increase.”
Ahead of the strike vote, Ross argued that MPI’s employees should receive pay hikes on par with the 3.3% raise received by Premier Heather Stefanson and her cabinet this year.
“It’s unfortunate that the Stefanson government continues to provide unfair, restrictive wage mandates to public employers while the Premier and her cabinet are on track to receive raises that are significantly higher than anything they’re offering workers,” he said in July.
A spokesperson for MPI told the Brandon Sun that day-to-day operations have not been affected by the strike vote thus far and that the corporation is committed to “exploring opportunities to fairly resolve the new collective agreement as soon as possible.”
MGEU represents approximately 1,700 workers across various MPI locations, including Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Brandon, Dauphin, Thompson, The Pas, Arborg, Beausejour, Selkirk, Steinbach, and Winkler.
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