Shared Health expresses surprise after union representing health-care workers sets strike deadline
MAHCP said its 6,500 workers will walk out if they don't have an agreement by June 15
Shared Health, the organization that oversees health-care delivery in the province, shot back at the Manitoba Association of Healthcare Professionals on Thursday, after the union representing about 6,500 workers threatened to go on strike if they don't have a new collective agreement by June 15 at 8 a.m.
Calling the strike notice a surprise, Shared Health said in a news release that an agreement in principle has been made on the parameters and approach to general wage increases and that significant progress has been made in negotiations.
Earlier on Thursday, MAHCP said in a news release that its members, who include pharmacists, paramedics and counsellors among other specialized professionals, have been without a collective agreement for more five years — which they called unprecedented. They voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate in April.
Shared Health said both sides have agreed to a series of additional mediation dates.
Essential services to continue
Agreements are in place to allow employers to schedule a minimum number of employees to ensure essential services continue in the event of a strike, MAHCP said. Still, the union anticipates that a strike will cause significant delays and service disruptions to multiple health-care services across 200 sites in Manitoba.
Shared Health also said that contingency plans have been developed to ensure services remain in place for patients, clients and residents in the event of job action.
Shared Health maintains that progress has been made in recent days on a new agreement that includes compounding general wage increases for every year, significant retroactive pay for general wage increases and other extensive monetary and non-monetary improvements to support recruitment, retention, career advancement and education and staff wellness.
In response, MAHCP said the organization overseeing health-care delivery had "misrepresented the state of bargaining." The two parties are still far apart on a number of significant issues, including both monetary and non-monetary issues that affect recruitment, retention, work-life balance and other important working conditions, the union said in a news release.
Shared Health noted that employers have successfully concluded collective agreements for approximately 50,000 health-care workers in the past few years. The release stated that all of the new agreements fairly addressed monetary matters, advance work-life-balance and prioritize recruitment and retention, while improving health services.
Shared Health added that it remains fully committed to the ongoing intensive mediation process.
Delays and cancellations to be expected
If a strike goes ahead, MAHCP said wait times are likely to increase and cancellations could occur for a wide range of health-care services.
Delays could happen in non-emergent surgical and diagnostic procedures, routine or non-emergent laboratory results, non-crisis mental health and addictions services, therapeutic/rehabilitation services and midwifery appointments, with the exception of late-term or immediate post-natal care, according to the MAHCP release.
MAHCP employees work as diagnostic imaging and laboratory technologists, scientists, rural paramedics and emergency medical dispatchers, mental health and addictions counsellors, respiratory therapists, midwives and more than 40 other health-care professions.
Their wages have been frozen since 2017. Since then, the cost of living has gone up 20 per cent, according to the MAHCP news release.