Provincial employees agree to 5 unpaid days off in exchange for no layoffs

Manitoba's largest public service union has agreed to five unpaid days off this fiscal year in exchange for a guarantee there will be no layoffs.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union said Monday it has agreed to five unpaid days for 6,250 of its members as a more palatable alternative to layoffs it says were threatened by Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister.

In April, the premier pushed for reduced work weeks for what he described as "non-essential workers" during the pandemic. The province floated the idea of workforce cuts as high as 30 per cent before seeking five unpaid days off.

MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said the unpaid leave will save the province $9.5 million.

The deal reached today will not apply to seasonal employees and workers at provincial nursing stations, Cadham Provincial Laboratory and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. Voluntary days off will be counted toward the five-day goal.

"MGEU continues to believe that these work reductions are unnecessary, unfair, and harmful to Manitoba's economy. However, given the premier's very real threat of layoffs, MGEU believes that securing no-layoff protection and accepting the five unpaid days is a better path for civil service members," the union said in a memo to its members.

Gawronsky said she offered to reduce the number of unpaid days to three while providing the province with the same savings.

"Unfortunately, the government stubbornly refused to consider these alternatives. It appears the government is more interested in punishing civil servants than achieving its desired cost savings," she told her members in the memo.
 
"We know this news is disappointing. None of us chose to go down this path with the province. Unfortunately, we face an employer with a heavy-handed and disrespectful approach to its hard-working employees."

The province issued a statement praising the union for its co-operation.

"We certainly appreciate the efforts of all of government unions, their members and our non-unionized employees to help us find very modest workforce expense reductions through five unpaid days off while avoiding any layoffs," a PC government spokesperson said in a statement.

"We are pleased that we have reached agreements in principle with all four of our government unions on the solution of five unpaid days off."

Pallister has repeatedly stated the workforce reductions were required to pay for increasing health care costs and other pandemic response programs while tax revenue drops.

The province said it is spending an additional $2 billion on health care alone, but provincial finance officials have yet to demonstrate this.

The MGEU also stated provincial court has ordered an order to comply with an April 17 ruling that the union is allowed to seek arbitration on behalf of all provincial civil servants.

The MGEU said the province is appealing that order.