LATEST BARGAINING NEWS
The Civil Service Bargaining Committee resumed negotiations with the employer on November 29, 2023, and further talks are scheduled for December 14, 2023.
The Bargaining Committee recently met with Civil Service activists from across the province to provide them with a bargaining update and to discuss potential job actions and picketing protocols.
MGEU staff and legal counsel have also been meeting with employer representatives at a separate table to discuss which work functions would be deemed essential during a work stoppage, and how many members would be required to do this. In the first week of December, the two sides met to discuss a number of challenging areas with the aid of a third-party mediator and made good progress.They hope to have the Essential Services agreement in place very shortly.
While the Committee remains hopeful a fair deal can be reached at the bargaining table, it's prudent to prepare for the possibility of a strike, especially given the logistical planning requirements of taking out a group as large as the Civil Service.
STRIKE PAY
In the event of a strike, MGEU strike pay will be administered by direct deposit, which requires a valid personal email address to be processed. Therefore, members who have not already signed a membership card are encouraged to fill out an application here, and those who have signed an application, but haven't provided a valid personal email address, can update their contact information here.
CATCH UP, KEEP UP ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
In mid-November, the MGEU launched a radio and online advertising campaign in support of a fair Civil Service deal.
The campaign encourages Manitobans to send a message to the Premier in support of fixing provincial public services and providing a fair deal for provincial workers.
Visit KeepUsTogether.ca and send a message to the Premier in support.
Bargaining Overview
In August, the government proposed that all outstanding monetary proposals for the Corrections Component Sub-agreement, including proposed special wage adjustments, be referred to binding arbitration.
The four-year offer, which did not include any special wage adjustments or monetary improvements, was conditional on the union committing that there would be no strike action by any members of the Corrections Component, as it relates to the Sub-agreement.
The Corrections Bargaining Committee recommended that members vote to reject the Sub-agreement offer.
Voting for the Sub-agreement, as well as the Civil Service Master Agreement/strike mandate, was conducted online.
Discussions about the Component Sub-agreement offer took place at Information Sessions and Corrections Local meetings happening throughout the province in September -- beginning with the Local 13, Area 5 meeting on September 13 and concluding with the Local 14, Area 7 meeting on September 27, 2023.
On October 6, 2023, Civil Service members voted overwhelmingly to reject the government's unfair settlement offer, while also providing their Bargaining Committee with a strong strike mandate.
Corrections members also voted to reject the government’s offer on their Component Sub-agreement.
View the Corrections Bargaining Update (sent September 15, 2023) here