Workers at Manitoba Public Insurance have “overwhelmingly” voted in favour of strike action, the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) says.
The union, which also represents the currently striking liquor workers in Manitoba, represents around 1,700 MPI employees in locations across the province, including Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Dauphin.
In a release Friday, MGEU said no strike date has been set, but preparations will begin Saturday. The dispute, as with the liquor strike, is over the province’s wage increases during a time when workers across the board are faced with inflation.
MPI workers have been without a new contract since Sept. 2 of last year.
“Now (the government is) coming back with a two-per-cent-a-year increase where inflation was eight per cent last year,” union president Kyle Ross told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
“These workers are really falling behind, and unfortunately they’ve taken the steps for strike.
“It’s really an unfair situation for these workers — they’re just trying to eke out a living.”
Ross said the union members rejected what he called an identical offer to that received by striking Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries workers.
“Our goal is to always bargain a deal at the table, so we’re going to try to go back to the table and negotiate something so we don’t have to go on strike,” he said.
“A strike’s always a last resort but our members have come through loud and clear that this two per cent mandate from Heather Stefanson is just not good enough and not fair.”
In a statement Friday, MPI confirmed it had been notified of the MGEU members’ vote in favour of strike action, and said it’s “encouraged” by MGEU’s interest in returning to the bargaining table.
“At this time there are no impacts to the organization’s operations, programs, or services,” the statement said.
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