Dear MAHCP member,
Brian Pallister has his mind made up. Instead of coming to the bargaining table and negotiating, he’s going to use his majority in the legislature to get his way.
In the election, Brian Pallister promised to protect public services and the workers who deliver them. But as Premier, he has mused openly about legislating wage settlements, making changes to pensions and forcing workers to take unpaid time off.
And without any explanation, Premier Pallister has said that he will reduce the number of Collective Agreements in the health care sector.
On Thursday, March 16, 2017, the Pallister government tabled two acts: the Public Services Sustainability Act and the Health Sector Bargaining Unit Review Act. More details on these two pieces of legislation are expected on Monday, March 20, 2017.
Health care unions, including MAHCP, and the Manitoba Federation of Labour have been meeting with government representatives as a part of a Health Care Working Group.
Throughout these meetings, our focus has been on ensuring the best possible care for Manitobans and respect for the demanding work of health care professionals like you.
As a united group of health care sector unions, we have taken the position that the decisions that members have already made about their union membership should be respected – government should not force new representation votes.
Your union remains committed to working with the government to find better ways to deliver health care services for families, but representation votes will only disrupt an already strained system.
We will keep pressing the government to finally come to the table and answer the many questions that workers and your union have. And we’ll keep fighting for you, so you can focus on what you do to make the lives of Manitobans better.
In solidarity,
Bob Moroz
