Several weeks ago, hundreds of MGEU members began contacting their union about the implementation of the new Social Work Profession Act, effective April 1, 2015.

As a requirement of the Act, anyone who represents themselves as a social worker must register with the Manitoba College of Social Workers (formerly known as the Manitoba Institute of Registered Social Workers). For MGEU members who refer to themselves as a social worker, the requirement to register is fairly clear. For others, who don’t refer to themselves as social workers and don’t have “social worker” in their job title, they have had many questions about whether they were required to register and the tight timelines to do so.

As a result of all those questions the union received, the MGEU was able to put together an immediate plan of action to address members’ concerns and find answers. The union drafted grievances, met with Labour Relations, spoke with other impacted unions, and posed many questions to the College itself to get more information for members. MGEU representatives also sat down with the Minister of Family Services to share members’ concerns.

These advocacy efforts have had a significant impact. On March 25, the Province informed affected members in the Civil Service that, upon further review and consultation, they determined “only positions that are titled ‘Social Worker’ will be required to register with the Manitoba College of Social Workers as a condition of employment.”

This means that only those who refer to themselves as a “social worker” (or whose job title includes the designation “social worker”) must register with (and be regulated by) the College. This interpretation of the Act drastically reduces the number of MGEU members required to register.

The MGEU will continue to press the Province so that any member of the Civil Service required to register with the College as a condition of employment can have their professional fees covered by the employer, under Memorandum of Agreement #4 of the Civil Service Master Agreement.

The Province has advised that they will be contacting Manitoba employers, whose employees are impacted by the new Act. In the meantime, any member who has been advised by their employer to register should continue with that process and watch for further updates.