Members of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly passed an interim supply bill today to ensure the province’s hard working government employees receive their next paycheque.
On March 21, the Pallister government was unable to pass the supply bill, which ensures there is enough money in government accounts to pay employees and keep programs running. This left employees with many worries and questions over the past week, while the legislative session paused for spring break.
Today, the session resumed and MLAs voted to pass the bill, which means there will be no disruption in pay for employees or funding for public services.
MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky was on hand at the Legislative Building, accompanied by representatives from the union’s civil service components, to witness how everything unfolded.
“I’m thankful that those elected to represent Manitobans put their legislative bickering aside and worked together today to do the right thing,” said Gawronsky. “It’s a shame it came to this and thousands of Manitobans were left to worry if they would have enough to pay the bills. It was completely unnecessary and I would like to see some assurances from MLAs that this won’t happen again.”
The MGEU represents approximately 12,000
members in the provincial civil service.