Health care support workers set strike date for October 8

In a joint news conference held today, MGEU and CUPE announced that formal strike notice has been served for more than 25,000 health care support workers across Manitoba. If a fair settlement cannot be reached, a strike will begin on October 8, 2024.

A number of these often physically demanding jobs start at just above minimum wage ($17.07/hour for many). Far too often people in Manitoba communities are choosing other jobs on the way to something better. Even if these workers had accepted the employers’ last offer, they would still be the lowest paid health care support workers in Canada.

“You can’t expect to fix health care if you have the lowest paid health workers in Canada. The employers’ last offer just doesn’t do enough to recruit and retain the workers needed to run our health care,” said MGEU President Kyle Ross. “Continuing to fill staffing gaps with private agency workers is costly and wasteful. Instead, Manitoba needs to grow its health care workforce to provide the care that patients and residents deserve.”

“Every day the employer puts off addressing these issues means patient and resident care will continue to suffer,” Ross said. “Strike action is a last resort, but health care in Manitoba is in crisis and that crisis demands urgent action.”

“If Manitoba is serious about fixing health care, it will need to resolve the health care staffing crisis, and that means paying fair and competitive wages for health care support workers,” said CUPE President Gina McKay. “Health care jobs that were once seen as highly desirable are just not competitive anymore. The result is increasing staff vacancy rates that are negatively affecting patients and residents.”

Both leaders agreed, fixing health care and delivering quality health care takes a whole team. By serving strike notice today, CUPE and MGEU hope to persuade the employer to come back to the table ready to negotiate a fair deal that respects these workers as key members of the health care team.

CUPE and MGEU bargaining committees are ready to return to negotiations as soon as possible to try and reach a settlement before October 8. In the interim, however, both unions are preparing for strike action, should it become necessary. In the event of a strike, agreements have been negotiated with the employer, in accordance with provincial legislation, to ensure essential health care services continue.

These health care support staff members work at hospitals and personal care homes, and in the provincial home care program. The workers include health care aides, laundry workers, dietary aides, ward clerks, recreation coordinators, maintenance, housekeeping and other support staff.  MGEU represents 6,500 health care support workers in Prairie Mountain Health and Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.