Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) workers are set to go on strike if a deal can’t be reached over the weekend.
The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU), which represents the 1,700 workers, served the corporation with a strike notice Friday, indicating that the entire membership intends to walk out as of 7:30 a.m., Monday if no deal is in place.
The union, which says its bargaining committee would prefer to avoid a strike, remains open to ongoing talks over the weekend. It announced a week ago that the MPI employees it represents had rejected the province’s latest offer and voted in favour of a strike mandate.
MGEU said picket lines — if a strike takes place — will be set up in The Pas, Thompson, Dauphin, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Winkler, Arborg, Beausejour, Selkirk, and Steinbach, as well as at MPI service centers in Winnipeg on Bison Drive, Gateway Road, King Edward Street, St. Mary’s Road, and Main Street.
The potential strike comes after positive news for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries workers — also represented by MGEU — who have reached a tentative agreement that, if ratified on the weekend, will see employees back at Manitoba liquor stores Monday.
In a statement Friday afternoon, MPI said it would have preferred to go through an arbitration process, and that it’s “unfortunate” the union has rejected the latest offer, but that the focus is now on minimizing disruptions for insurance customers across Manitoba.
Among the measures the corporation says it’s taking are cancelling and rescheduling driver testing, estimating and adjusting appointments scheduled for Monday, directing customer enquiries and front-end service transactions to its broke partners, and allowing all existing Autopac policies and driver licences to remian valid during labour interruption.
The contact centre remains open for personal injury, non-drivable collision claims and total-theft claims. All other claims will be handled by accredited repair shops.
Essential services, including payments to personal injury claimants, are set to continue uninterrupted.
More details about MPI’s plans during a potential strike will be posted on their website.
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