The province of Manitoba and the union representing 11,500 civil servants have reached a tentative agreement for a four-year contract.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union says it reached a deal with the provincial government Friday and is recommending its members accept it.

If approved, the agreement, retroactive to last year, will increase wages by approximately 14 per cent over a four-year period, the union said — 2.5 per cent in 2023, 2.75 per cent in 2024, and three per cent in both 2025 and 2026.

It also includes a one-time signing bonus of $1,800 for full-time employees, and a $900 signing bonus for part-time employees.

MGEU will hold online information meetings with members in the coming weeks. After that, civil service members will vote on whether or not to accept the deal.

The union represents more than 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.

They had previously rejected the last offer from the outgoing PC government in October in favour of a strike mandate.

A strike by the civil servants would have been the fourth involving MGEU members in the past year, following a two-month strike by Manitoba Public Insurance workers that began in late August, immediately after the end of a strike by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries workers.

Unionized workers at Manitoba land titles offices also took job action last summer.