96% Vote in Favour – Urgent need for staff retention top of mind after 10 months without a contract
January 29, 2025 | Winnipeg, MB – Allied health professionals represented by the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP) voted 96% in favour of a strike mandate last week, citing increasing workloads and critical staffing shortages that are putting patient care at risk and driving up wait times. Nearly 7,000 MAHCP members are publicly employed, working in 50+ specialized professions in labs, clinics, hospitals, community and long-term care settings across the province.
“The overwhelming strike mandate is another sign that the situation on the frontline is not improving,” said Jason Linklater, President, MAHCP. “Allied health professionals are clearly running out of patience. They are asking for the relief and change they were promised, and for a competitive contract that will give them a reason to stay.”
MAHCP’s Bargaining Committee called for a strike vote on January 13, after more than nine months at the bargaining table. The previous contracts expired March 31, 2024. The union’s membership has expressed growing concern in recent years due to lack of competitive wages and severe understaffing in many areas, including in rural emergency medical services, diagnostics, mental health and addictions, and more. Survey results released last week showed staffing, workload and morale continued to worsen in 2024 for most frontline allied health professionals, with very few seeing any improvement.
“Manitoba must compete if we want to retain specialized allied health staff, and that has to start with a new contract without further delay,” said Linklater. “Unfortunately, sometimes the only action that has a real impact is the threat of job action, and we’re prepared to take that step.”
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