Manitoba may face another strike after MPI workers reject Crown corporation's latest offer
MGEU represents Manitoba Public Insurance workers as well as those striking at Liquor & Lotteries, land titles
The number of government employees on strike in Manitoba could mount as staff with the province's public insurer are now preparing to hit the picket lines.
Unionized workers with Manitoba Public Insurance "overwhelmingly" voted to reject the latest contract offer in favour of strike action, according to a Thursday night news release from the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union.
Voting started last week in rural and northern Manitoba and finished up Thursday evening in Winnipeg, the union said. It didn't provide information on how many members voted or the percentage who declined the offer.
No official strike date has been set, but strike preparations are set to begin Friday morning, the release stated.
The union said it wants MPI to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair settlement and avert job action.
MGEU says it's looking for wage increases that keep up with the growing cost of living, but the Crown corporation's last offer was limited to a two per cent annual wage increase.
Manitoba's consumer price index rose 7.8 per cent in 2022, after increasing 3.3 per cent in 2021, according to a report released by the province earlier this year.
The MGEU represents approximately 1,700 Manitoba Public Insurance workers at locations in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Brandon, Dauphin, Thompson, The Pas, Arborg, Beausejour, Selkirk, Steinbach and Winkler. Their last contract expired in September 2022.
The union also represents about 1,400 workers with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, who are in the second week of a provincewide strike after limited job action — such as day-long strikes and walkouts — that started a month ago.
Bargaining teams from the union and Liquor & Lotteries are scheduled to return to negotiations on Friday.
Meanwhile, unionized workers at Manitoba's land titles offices, also represented by MGEU, began job action in late July by refusing overtime. That later escalated with targeted strikes by certain departments.
As of Aug. 11, half of the 70 workers at Teranet Manitoba — the service provider for Manitoba's land titles system and personal property registry — were fully on strike.
Most are located in Winnipeg, but there are offices in Morden, Brandon, Dauphin, Neepawa, and Portage la Prairie.