Conciliation talks to end the labour strike impacting Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) services have crumbled, with union leaders rejecting the latest contract offered by the Crown corporation.
MPI had presented its “final offer,” including an 8% wage increase over four years, a $1,800 signing bonus, a 1% retention bonus for employees with at least four years of service, and a 1.7% increase in benefit enhancements for the average salary.
These concessions represent a 12.5% overall increase for all employees, according to MPI board chair Ward Keith, who called the offer the “best deal MPI can put on the table.”
The offer is “as responsive to union leadership as it can be while balancing the corporation’s obligations to both its employees and Manitoba,” Keith told reporters at a press conference last week.
Around 1,700 MPI employees represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) have been on strike since August 28. Their job action has led to service disruptions that the corporation hopes to mitigate by tapping third-party brokers to handle essential tasks like license renewals and insurance payments.
MPI has also contracted 42 certified driving instructors to address a backlog of Class 5 road tests that is said to be at around 4,000.
In the meantime, road tests for commercial drivers, such as those operating semi-trucks, have been suspended.
MGEU president Kyle Ross said he understands the strike's impact but said that union members will remain on the picket line until a deal is reached with MPI.
“Our workers would rather be there doing their tests, but they won’t give us a fair offer,” Ross told CTV News. “It’s unfortunate that we are in this situation.”
MGEU has said it wants to see general wage increases of 3.3% in 2023 and 3.6% in 2024 and 2025, stating that MPI’s latest offer is “not close to fair.”
“No matter how the government spins and misrepresents their offer, the reality is that one-third of MPI workers would receive wage increases of just 9% over four years,” the union said in a news release.
A no-layoff clause that had been part of the bargaining table discussions was also withdrawn from MPI’s latest offer, according to MGEU.
“We have said from the beginning that all members at MPI need wage increases that help them start to catch up and keep up,” the union said further. “This latest offer leaves far too many members behind; it’s for that reason our bargaining committee is not prepared to put it to a vote at this time.”
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