About 2,300 Manitoba Hydro workers are on strike after rejecting the corporation’s latest contract offer on Thursday (June 29).
In a media release, Hydro said “On June 29, 2023, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2034 leadership rejected a final offer by Manitoba Hydro without taking it to their members for a ratification vote. The offer was Manitoba Hydro’s final attempt to avert strike action by the union.”
“The walk-out comes two years after the union’s last strike, which lasted nearly two months and ended after the Manitoba Labour Board stepped in to determine a new contract,” says CBC News.
Mike Espenell, business manager of the union told the CBC, “What we’re looking for is some reassurances that we can maintain our standard of living, and we’re looking for competitiveness in the industry. We’ve really fallen out of scope and really fallen behind.” He said the union’s main goal now is to get the corporation back to the bargaining table.
Manitoba Hydro says it’s “alerting customers of possible changes in available services, and the need to prepare for potentially longer power outage restoration times in the event of bad weather or other events.”
“This is not the outcome we hoped for. I fully believe that Manitoba Hydro’s offer demonstrated our ongoing commitment to finding a solution that respects our customers, all Manitobans, and treats all employees fairly. We recognize the toll a strike puts on customers and employees, and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we work to resolve this,” said Jay Grewal, President and CEO of Manitoba Hydo.
Also in the media release, Hydro said it “has a contingency plan in place that prioritizes emergency outage restoration and protection of customer, public, and employee safety. Initial strike action includes restrictions on standby, overtime, and service call outs in specific areas of the utility’s operations. As a result, customers should be prepared for it taking longer to restore power outages due to storms or other causes.”
Tips for how to prepare for outages are available at https://www.hydro.mb.ca/outages/
Manitoba Hydro will be posting regular strike updates, including affected work locations, service availability and other information, on its website – https://www.hydro.mb.ca/
