Late Thursday night, MGEU members at MPI overwhelmingly voted to reject their employer’s offer and voted in favour of strike action.
“As we’re seeing with so many others, including our members working for MBLL and the Land Titles office, not to mention the majority of working Manitobans, MPI members believe it’s not too much to ask for a fair wage increase that helps them and their families keep up with the soaring cost of living,” said MGEU President Kyle Ross. “Unfortunately, MPI’s final offer was limited to 2% annual wage increases by the Stefanson government’s restrictive wage mandate.”
No official strike date has been set, but strike preparations began this morning.
The Bargaining Committee has requested that the employer return to the bargaining table as soon as possible in an effort to negotiate a settlement and avert any job action.
The MGEU represents approximately 1,700 members at MPI locations across the province including Winnipeg, Portage La Prairie, Brandon, Dauphin, Thompson, The Pas, Arborg, Beausejour, Selkirk, Steinbach and Winkler.
These members have been working under an expired contract since September 26, 2022.
“No one wants to go on strike. These are people’s livelihoods we’re talking about here,” Ross said. “But sometimes we have to take a stand. No matter who you are, or where you work, your wages aren’t going as far as they used to and you deserve a fair increase. Those in power are not the one’s falling behind here. It’s working Manitobans, those on the front-lines of serving our communities. Right now, our members are standing together, doing their best to make sure fairness prevails.”