Manitoba Public Insurance strike ends as workers vote to accept new 4-year contract

Unionized workers at Manitoba Public Insurance have voted to accept a new four-year contract with the Crown corporation, ending a strike that lasted more than two months.

The new contract will provide workers with wage increases of at least 13 per cent over four years, a Wednesday night news release from the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union said.

"I think they cleared the tunnel and now I feel it's more like they probably have a mountain to climb though," MGEU president Kyle Ross said later in an interview with CBC. "There's such a backlog of work, they're going to be very busy for quite a while." 

The agreement also includes a one-time lump sum signing bonus of $1,800 for full-time employees, which would be pro-rated for part-time employees, according to MGEU.

The workers, who have been on strike since Aug. 28, will also receive two weeks' pay to recognize the stalled negotiations between the Oct. 3 provincial election and the new government being sworn in.

MPI added in a news release Wednesday that all service and claim centres across the province, including the physical damage centre and contact centre, will reopen at 1 p.m. Friday and remain open until 4:30 p.m. 

The release added appointments scheduled for 1 p.m. and beyond will continue and those who have had appointments cancelled will be contacted to reschedule. 

"I would say there's some concerns that they're going to face a lot of angry Manitobans when they get back to work and they open those shops," said Ross. "I'm hopeful Manitobans will recognize that they were fighting … to be treated fairly."

MGEU announced Tuesday night it had reached a tentative agreement with the public insurer, one day after rejecting an offer from the Crown corporation that included wage increases 12.2 per cent over four years. 

The agreement will see a three per cent increase for 2022 and 2023. Workers will receive a 2.9 per cent general increase with an additional 0.5 per cent retention adjustment increase in 2024 and a 2.8 per cent general increase and a 0.5 per cent retention adjustment increase in 2025, the MGEU release Wednesday said. 

"Those are good wage increases for folks who deserve it," said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe, who is also the minister responsible for MPI during a news conference Wednesday. "I especially want to thank the workers who spent weeks on the picket line, demonstrating for their right to a fair deal." 

Additionally, most workers will receive an additional 3.5 per cent wage increase over the life of the agreement from a new maximum increment step for each pay grade, the MGEU release said.

Ross explained the extra step would expand the six-step pay scale MPI employees go through as their tenure increases. Currently, an employee at the sixth step of the salary scale would be "topped out," he said.

MPI previously presented what it called its final offer back in September. Under provincial labour law, both sides could have applied for binding arbitration starting Oct. 27 — 60 days after the beginning of labour action — to resolve the dispute.