Manitoba’s 25,000-plus health-care support workers struck a last-minute tentative agreement early Tuesday morning prior a strike deadline set for 6 a.m.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 204 and the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, which represent support staff, had said a deal was not close Monday afternoon.
The heads of both unions said Monday a strike would be a last resort if workers did not receive a “fair” offer.
Shannon McAteer, health care co-ordinator for CUPE Manitoba, alongside Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union president Kyle Ross (on McAteer’s right) in September. (Malak Abas / Free Press files)
“Whether or not they walk the picket line, it’s up to them,” CUPE Manitoba president Gina McKay said prior to the deal, referring to the Manitoba government. “It’s their chance to fix health care from the ground up.”
“We’re in this fight for Manitobans. We’re actively fighting to improve health care,” added MGEU president Kyle Ross, noting the 25,000-plus employees represent half of Manitoba’s health-care workforce.
Negotiations between the unions and the province continued through the night.
According to a Tuesday morning post by CUPE on Meta, “At 4:25 a.m. this morning the CUPE and MGEU bargaining teams reached a tentative agreement which will see significant improvements…. The strike is therefore postponed pending the results of the ratification vote.”
The unions negotiated with Shared Health, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Interlake-Eastern RHA, Prairie Mountain Health and Southern Health. Northern Health was the only region not included in contract talks.
The chief operating officer of provincial co-ordinated health services and Shared Health’s chief nursing officer warned Monday a strike would significantly disrupt health services.
“To be clear, this will not be business as usual,” Monika Warren said.
She noted ER and hospital bed wait times, cuts to some home-care duties and delays to elective and less urgent surgeries would be among the impacts of a strike.
Essential services agreements were in place in case of a walkout “with the sickest and most injured patients prioritized,” Warren said.
CUPE Local 204 and MGEU were seeking an improved offer on wage increases for members who work at hospitals and personal-care homes, and in the provincial home-care program.
They include health-care aides, laundry workers, dietary aides, ward clerks, recreation co-ordinators and people who work in maintenance and housekeeping.
MGEU and CUPE members rejected previous contract offers. MGEU has said the deal for its members included a one per cent wage increase retroactive to April 1, and an 11.25 per cent wage hike spread over the four years of the contract.
The workers had been without a contract since March 2024.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
— with files from Chris Kitching