WINNIPEG – A tentative agreement was reached in the early morning hours Tuesday to avert a strike by 25,000 health-care support workers in Manitoba.
The workers were set to walk off the job at 6 a.m. while continuing to provide essential services, but negotiators for the two unions involved and the provincial government reached a deal about 90 minutes beforehand.
“It came right down to the last minute,” Gina McKay, president of CUPE Manitoba, said in an interview.
“We hope that this will not only bring workers up (in wages), but then also prioritize the importance of who health care support workers are in the health system.”
The workers, who include health-care aides, laundry workers and support staff in hospitals and personal care homes, served notice two weeks ago of their intent to strike. A strike would have affected services in many parts of the province including Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach, Dauphin and Portage la Prairie.
Details of the tentative agreement are not being released before workers vote on the package, but McKay said it addresses the key areas of wages and working conditions. Some workers make little more than minimum wage and saw their pay stagnate in recent years while the cost of living increased, she said.
Both unions — CUPE and the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union — are recommending acceptance of the agreement.
“Support workers have earned fair wage increases — increases that will help grow Manitoba’s health care workforce,” MGEU president Kyle Ross said in a press release.
Shared Health, the province’s central health care agency, had said Monday that essential services would continue in the event of a strike.
Life-saving and other high-priority surgeries, including cancer surgeries would have proceeded while other surgeries, including elective ones would have been delayed, while some outpatient clinics and home care services would have been impacted as well, Shared Health said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024
