A news release from the Manitoba Nurses Union said “a majority of our members have voted to ratify the tentative agreement that had been reached with the Employers last week.
The Ratification Vote took place over a course of a week, with the voting closing at noon today, Oct. 14, 2021, after starting on Oct. 7.
“We would like to thank every single MNU member who took the time to attend one of our 14 webinars, time to read the bargaining documents and, of course, exercised their right by casting a vote,” said MNU President Darlene Jackson. “It truly was a long four and a half years without a collective agreement and as I have mentioned before, there is still work to be done to address the significant weaknesses in our health care system, but the improvements in this contract are a necessary and positive first step in addressing nurses’ serious concerns.”
The focal point for MNU’s Provincial Collective Bargaining Committee, that they worked tirelessly to achieve, was a fair agreement: one that honours both recruitment and retention of nurses, as well as salary increases, financial incentives and, of course, a better work/life balance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned an already difficult situation into a perilous and unsustainable one. Before the pandemic, we had a critical nursing shortage. Since the pandemic, it has become a crisis.
The Tentative Agreement with the Employers addresses many issues, including improvements to shift premiums, overtime compensation, meal allowance, isolation allowance, academic allowance entitlement, and the health spending account.
There are protections against inordinately long consecutive hours of work and durations of standby. There is also an investment in recruitment and retention initiatives through a joint committee with a fund of $4M/year.
MNU represents more than 12,000 nurses of all designations from across Manitoba.
A news release from Premier Kelvin Goertzen and Health and Seniors Care Minister Audrey Gordon said “On behalf of all Manitobans, we welcome the announcement of a finalized new and long-term collective agreement between all of Manitoba’s health-care employers and the Manitoba Nurses Union. Our dedicated nurses fully deserve the comfort and security this seven-year agreement provides, along with the wide-ranging collaborative improvements it delivers.
We applaud both the Manitoba Nurses Union and the health-care employers for concluding this agreement in challenging circumstances. The bargaining unit restructuring process administered through an independent commissioner meant that bargaining could not commence until 2020, and then the intervening COVID-19 pandemic created further complications. This mutual agreement is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the leadership and negotiating teams of both sides.
Throughout this unprecedented pandemic, our dedicated nurses have heroically delivered the care that all Manitobans depend upon. Once again, we salute them, for their abilities, their compassion and their unwavering sense of commitment when their special skills have been needed most.”
