Health-care union sets June 15 strike date

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This article was published 31/05/2023 (328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Allied health-care workers will hit the picket line June 15 if their union cannot secure a new contract with Shared Health.

The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals announced Thursday it had set a strike deadline of 8 a.m., June 15, for its 6,500 members — lab techs, pharmacists, rural paramedics, addiction counsellors, midwives, respiratory therapists — who work at 200 sites across the province.

Essential service agreements will keep a minimum number of health workers on the job, but the union warns job action could cause widespread delays and cancellations.

Workers voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action earlier this year after being without a ratified contract for the past five years, along with a wage freeze.

The employer and the union continued to be at odds Thursday about the progress, or lack thereof, in negotiations.

Shared Health called the union’s strike deadline announcement “surprising,” and said much progress had been made, including an agreement-in-principle on general wage increases.

The union described Shared Health’s statement as misleading and accused the employer of releasing confidential details about bargaining.

In question period Thursday, NDP Leader Wab Kinew went after the Progressive Conservative government. He called it “irresponsible to the let the situation get this bad” for the fact there has been no collective agreement for five years.

Premier Heather Stefanson responded by thanking the front-line allied health care professionals for their work and called the NDP “irresponsible” for meddling in collective bargaining.

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“We need to allow that process to take place,” Stefanson told the house.

Shared Health stated it is committed to reaching an agreement.

“Much progress has been made in recent days through intensive mediation with MAHCP on a new agreement that includes compounding general wage increases for every year, significant retroactive pay for general wage increases, and other extensive monetary and non-monetary improvements to support recruitment, retention, career advancement and education, and staff wellness. An agreement in principle had been reached on both the parameters and approach to general wage increases for the full term under negotiation,” a Shared Health spokesperson stated.

In response, the union stated: “Shared Health has misrepresented the state of bargaining. The two parties are still far apart on a number of significant issues, including both monetary and non-monetary issues that affect recruitment, retention, work-life balance and other important working conditions.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca