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 Ms. 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.
“I think we … worked really hard to make these jobs more competitive in the market” MGEU president Kyle Ross said.
“Our goal all along, was to … be able to recruit and retain workers in these jobs so we can have a strong, robust health-care system.”
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 affected as well, Shared Health said.
Premier Wab Kinew did not respond directly when asked whether the government has money set aside in its budget for the agreement.
“We have a ton of respect for the unique and special relationship between the unions and their members, and so now that they have accepted a deal on behalf of the workers – tentatively – we’re going to respect the ratification process,” Mr. Kinew said.