On behalf of the staff and Executive Council of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, happy holidays to you and yours!
2024 has been noteworthy for MAHCP’s membership in so many ways. Here are just a few highlights:
- After the majority of our members came close to striking in 2023, we ratified a Central Table agreement which included Manitoba’s largest-ever MAWS fund (market adjustment and wage standardization). We were able to finalize and roll out the MAWS agreement this year.
- We’re back at the table already on behalf of our Central Table, which represents more than 6,000 of our members, pushing for a new contract with better wages and improved benefits to boost Manitoba’s competitiveness as a health-care employer.
- We negotiated collective agreements for some of our local tables, none of which was achieved without persistence and a willingness to push for what our members rightly deserve.
- Manitobans have now spent more than a year with our provincial NDP, a government that promised to listen to frontline health-care workers. With every opportunity we have, whether in a face-to-face conversation or a formal meeting, behind the scenes, over the phone, by email, or loudly in the media, MAHCP is calling for allied health vacancies to be filled.
While we understand that change takes time, we are still waiting for tangible positive outcomes to show from the investments this government committed to make. There is a long way to go to level up Manitoba’s allied health wages to be competitive, and to shape a safer and more supportive workplace culture.
We’re calling for new competitive contracts that recognize your value; enhanced leadership skills and practices and improvements to workplace culture — all of which will have a significant impact on the lives of allied health professionals. And we will keep asking for increased staffing and a long-term provincial health human resources strategy; that is our promise to you. We cannot afford to lose anymore difficult-to-replace allied health.
For now, thank you for the vital work you do for Manitobans, and for standing with our union. We hope you have an opportunity to enjoy some well-deserved time off over the holidays to rest, recharge and reconnect with family and friends.
Season’s greetings and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2025.
In solidarity,
Your MAHCP Team