Around 11,500 civil service workers in Manitoba could soon have a new contract.
The MGEU, which represents the workers, says it has reached a tentative agreement with the province.
The deal, which still needs to be ratified, is four years and would give workers a 14 per cent wage increase over that period, along with a one-time lump-sun signing bonus of $1800 per full-time employee and improvements to health benefits.
“The agreement would help fix the civil service staffing crisis by improving the province’s ability to recruit and retain skilled workers it needs to deliver the quality public services Manitobans count on,” said MGEU president Kyle Ross, who says there’s a 30 per cent vacancy rate in the civil service.
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The union will hold online information meetings with members in the coming weeks with the ratification vote coming later in the month.
Back in October, workers voted to give the bargaining committee a strike mandate.