Manitoba Hydro workers' strike ends as labour board set to resolve contract dispute

Thousands of front-line Manitoba Hydro workers are ending a nearly two-month-long strike, with the Manitoba Labour Board set to determine the terms of a new contract for the workers.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2034, the union that represents the 2,300 striking workers, is pleased a neutral third-party will settle the contract dispute, business manager Mike Espenell said.

"We're happy. Members are happy that we've got a mechanism now to settle our contract, settle the dispute," he said.

"At the beginning, that's all we were looking for, was a fair shake."

The new deal will be imposed by the labour board, as Hydro previously rejected the union's calls for an independent arbitrator.

Mandated end to strikes

IBEW Local 2034 workers have held rotating strikes since March 23, following 28 months of unsuccessful negotiations.

The Crown corporation was mandated by the provincial government to freeze wages for two years, which amounts to government interference, the union has alleged. 

Premier Brian Pallister has maintained his government has a responsibility to set guidelines for bargaining.

The union previously said it rejected an offer in March for a four-year deal from 2019-22, which proposed a zero per cent wage increase in the first two years, then increases of 0.75 per cent and one per cent in the last two years.

A Manitoba Hydro spokesperson said in March the offer also included benefit improvements and an extension of a no-layoff clause for the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The labour board ordered a termination of the strike on May 13, and set July 7 as the tentative start of the hearing to settle the dispute.

Under current labour laws, unions can apply to a labour board to end a labour dispute after 60 days, which prevents strikes and lockouts from lasting indefinitely.

The Progressive Conservative government, however, has introduced legislation that would wipe out that requirement. They say the decision would put Manitoba in line with other Canadian jurisdictions.

The Pallister government has continued with efforts to freeze the wages of public sector workers, despite a court ruling that threw out controversial wage-freeze legislation, calling it a "draconian measure." The province is appealing that court decision. 

Espenell doesn't expect the labour board to keep wages stagnant. 

"I think the labour board rulings have been consistent with arbitration rulings and they come up with a palatable centre point, or position, for both parties," he said.

Manitoba Hydro said in a brief statement it is transitioning "back to normal operations" following the strike's conclusion.