Manitoba Hydro served with 48-hour strike notice from union

The union representing some Manitoba Hydro employees who help keep the power on say they have served the Crown Corporation with a strike notice.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 2034 union sent a memo to members Sunday with the update.

“In keeping with previous practice, IBEW is willing to provide a minimum of two hours’ notice for site specific strike action, and to perform any duties necessary for safe operations during said two-hour period,” the memo reads.

“Should strike action become necessary, it will only receive two-hours’ notice before labour action begins. Hydro is now aware that it will have just a very short window in which to prepare for the impact that any strike action might generate.”

According to the union’s website, the group represents nearly 3,000 members — the vast majority of which are Hydro employees.

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The site says those employees operate, maintain and repair all of Manitoba Hydro’s facilities — everything from the large generating stations to the trucks.

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In another memo posted to the unions website from Tuesday, the union says members voted in favour of strike action during their bargaining for a new collective agreement.

“Members need to be assured that the union will exhaust every possible means of attaining a fair agreement and will do its utmost to avoid invoking a strike,” the memo reads.

Global News has reached out to the union and Manitoba Hydro for comment but has yet to hear back.