The union representing about 1,700 striking workers at Manitoba Public Insurance says it reached a tentative agreement with the Crown corporation on Tuesday evening.

Unionized workers will learn more about the deal in an online meeting on Wednesday, the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union said in a news release sent shortly&nbsp;before 9 p.m. Tuesday.

A vote will also take place between noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The tentative agreement is one "we are proud to recommend to our members" and will help workers with rising costs of living,&nbsp;MGEU president Kyle Ross said in the release.

The latest offer from&nbsp;MPI includes 13 per cent total wage&nbsp;increases over four years, according to the union.

If ratified, the agreement would end just over two months of strike action by workers with the public insurer.

MPI strike continues as union members vote to reject latest offer

Striking Manitoba Public Insurance workers rejected the latest offer from the Crown corporation in a vote Monday, after the new NDP government ordered its newly-appointed board back to the negotiating table in an effort to end the months-long strike.

A man in a light blue dress shirt stands behind a podium with the words "catch up keep up" while surrounded by several people. 

Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union president Kyle Ross said the province's civil servants have "overwhelmingly" voted to reject the outgoing government's last contract officer. 

mgeu newser Oct 6 2023

MGEU president Kyle Ross says MPI workers have chosen to remain on the picket line after voting on the latest offer from the the Crown corporation.

Frustration reaches high gear among drivers as MPI strike rolls into its 3rd month

Some Manitobans are getting increasingly frustrated as the strike by hundreds of unionized auto insurer workers enters its third month, but hope for a settlement grows as strikers vote on new offer on Monday.

About a dozen people wearing "MGEU on strike" placards walk on a sidewalk.

Unionized workers with Manitoba Public Insurance walk the picket line at MPI's service centre on Main Street on the morning of Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, the day the strike started. The workers are represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU).

MPI strike on Main Street - Aug. 28, 2023

About 1,700 MPI workers represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union have been on strike since Aug. 28.

The deal also includes a&nbsp;one-time, lump sum signing bonus of $1,800 to be provided to full-time employees, which would be pro-rated for part-time employees, the release says.

Striking workers would also receive two weeks of pay to recognize the more than three weeks of stalled negotiations while the new provincial government was being sworn in.

Members of the union rejected an earlier offer from the Crown corporation on Monday, which&nbsp;included wage increases of 12.2 per cent over four years.

Under Manitoba labour law, either MPI or its striking workers could have applied&nbsp;for binding arbitration starting Oct. 27 to settle the&nbsp;dispute.

The Manitoba Public Insurance strike shows the NDP's support for arbitration is ... arbitrary

According to the NDP government and its supporters, there's nothing inconsistent about championing the right to resort to binding arbitration in principle and arguing against the actual use of this conflict-resolution mechanism in a real-life situation.

Unionized workers with Manitoba Public Insurance went on strike on Aug. 28. The NDP replaced most of the Crown corporation's board on Friday and told it to negotiate a deal — only one week before either side can apply for binding arbitration to settle the labour dispute.

But both parties have been&nbsp;looking to come to&nbsp;an agreement at the bargaining table, after the province issued a mandate to MPI's board of directors to resolve the labour dispute without binding arbitration.

The mandate came after Manitoba's NDP government 

&nbsp;on Oct. 20&nbsp;— two days after forming government.

CBC News has reached out to MPI for comment.

Manitoba Public Insurance's latest offer to striking workers includes 13 per cent total wage increases over four years, according to the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union.

Striking MPI workers reach tentative deal with Crown corporation: union

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