Manitoba's civil service workers reject latest contract offer, deliver strike mandate

Manitobans may face yet another strike after the province's unionized civil service workers voted to reject the outgoing government's latest contract offer.

Civil servants represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union voted "overwhelmingly" to turn down the employer's current contact offer in favour of a strike mandate, MGEU president Kyle Ross said Friday.

"This does not mean the civil service is going on strike tomorrow," he said at a news conference.

"The goal here is to get back to the bargaining table and get a fair deal. A strike is the last resort, but our members have said clearly that they are prepared to go there if necessary."

Ross did not say what percentage of members voted in favour of the strike mandate.

The most recent offer would provide a two per cent wage increase per year over four years, an offer Ross said doesn't go far enough.

MGEU represents about 11,000 civil servants working in a variety of areas, including correctional officers, conservation officers, public health inspectors, sheriffs and social services workers, among others. 

Summer of strikes 

If the civil servants do walk off the job, it would MGEU's fourth strike this year. 

About 1,700 MPI workers represented by the union have been on strike since Aug. 28, after they were unable to reach an agreement on a contract with the public insurer.

That strike began just a day after the end of a strike by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries workers, also represented by MGEU, that lasted nearly a month this summer. 

Unionized workers at Manitoba land titles offices also took job action this summer after labour talks stalled. 

Ross said he's hopeful for a "new approach" to labour relations under the incoming NDP government, after that party won Tuesday's provincial election.

Civil servants won't take any job action until the union has a chance to sit down with the new government, Ross said.

"We're hopeful that they'll come to the table and we can have meaningful talks and come to a fair agreement," he said. 

"That's been our our goal all along. We've been trying to get that with the previous [Progressive Conservative] government, and we have indication that this new government" will do that.

On Wednesday, at his first news conference following Tuesday's election, premier-designate Wab Kinew said he wants to avoid interfering in labour negotiations — something he accused the Progressive Conservatives of doing — but he also offered his support for the striking MPI workers.

"For the PCs to stand in the way of these hard-working Manitobans getting a fair deal is just wrong. We are on the side of workers," he said.

However, Ross said union members will have to wait until the new NDP government is sworn in before MGEU can meet with them.

"It's unfortunate that these members have to wait, but … [new government members] need to be briefed and be prepared to have those conversations with us," he said.