Strike by Manitoba health-care support workers could begin Oct. 8 as unions serve notice

The Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union served up notice that 25,000 health-care workers will strike Oct. 8, unless the government dishes out an acceptable contract offer.

CUPE and MGEU members voted against the province's last proposal in August, "and we have not seen significant movement from the employer since then," a joint news release said Tuesday morning.

"If we are unable to reach a fair deal at the bargaining table within the next 14 days — which is the mandatory number of days necessary to provide strike notice — strike action will begin on Oct. 8. This is plenty of time to get a deal done if we see a fair deal offered," CUPE Manitoba president Gina McKay said at a news conference at the Union Centre on Broadway.

That deal, however, needs to be one that will help recruit and retain health-care workers, she said.

Staffing shortages are an ongoing problem, and not just for those whose workloads are increasing, McKay said, because the issues inevitably make their way to the bedside and impact the care patients receive.

"A strike is always a last resort, but health care is in a staffing crisis and this crisis demands urgent action," she said.

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