Today, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) workers voted overwhelmingly to reject their employer’s latest offer, which means the province-wide strike, that began on August 28, continues.
“We always wanted our members to vote on their next contract, rather than have something imposed on them,” said MGEU President Kyle Ross. “Today our members have spoken, and after nine weeks on the picket line, they’re standing firm in their fight for fairness.”
Today marked the start of the 10th week of strike action -- one of the longest strikes in MGEU’s history.
The two sides bargained through the weekend, and representatives from the union will be requesting that the employer return to the bargaining table as soon as possible to resume negotiations.
The rejection vote also means that picketing will continue tomorrow. In Winnipeg, members will picket at the Manitoba Legislature to let the government know that the offer did not go far enough. In rural Manitoba, picket lines will resume at the same picketing locations as last week.
“There has been a disconnect between the new government’s messages of support for our members and what we have seen from the employer at the bargaining table,” added Ross. “Let’s get back to the table and negotiate a contract that provides fair wages for members and gets them back to work helping Manitobans.”
From the first day of strike action, the elected Bargaining Committee representing MPI members has said that all members at the Corporation need wage increases that help them start to catch up and keep up with soaring inflation.
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