Union calls for bigger pay increases

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This article was published 17/07/2023 (734 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Heather Stefanson, her cabinet, and MLAs are set to receive wage increases that a union says are disproportionate to what public servants are getting.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, which is currently in collective bargaining talks, claims the wage increases of 3.3 percent this year and 3.6 percent in 2024 and 2025 are double what cost-of-living wage increases are for public service employees. Wage increases for public service employees are 1.75 percent in 2023; 1.5 percent in 2024; and 1.75 percent in 2025.

“Back in March or April the MLAs and the premier got raises of 3.3 percent and they’ve been offering – at all the public service tables we’ve been at – they’ve had offers usually around half of that. We feel it’s unfair and these members worked through the pandemic. These members are facing tough inflation. Everything is getting more expensive. You go to the grocery store and your money is not nearly going as far and we feel that we need to be treated fairly,” said MGEU president Kyle Ross.

On April 1, the basic annual salary for all Manitoba MLAs was $102,998 — with the premier receiving an additional $86,312, and cabinet ministers and the leader of the official Opposition receiving an extra $56,390.

A year earlier, an MLA’s base pay was $99,708, with an $83,555 top-up for the premier and an added $54,589 for cabinet ministers and Opposition leader.

MLA salaries are regulated under the Legislative Assembly Act and determined by the Manitoba Commissioner for MLA Pay, Allowances and Retirement Benefits, based on Manitoba’s Consumer Price Index, the rate of inflation.

In March, Statistics Canada reported average hourly wages rose 5.4 percent in 2022-23. In June, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced its members ratified a contract that includes a 12.6 percent pay increase over four years.

If pay doesn’t account for inflation then there is the potential of low morale, poor retention and recruitment rates in the public service.

“We know as it stands right now there’s a 25 percent vacancy rate in the civil service. Services are suffering, Manitobans aren’t getting the services that they need. We’ve seen in past winters where road clearing is an issue. There’s vital statistics for how long it takes to get a birth certificate or marriage certificate. All these things will continue to degrade unless there’s an investment made in the public service. So, Manitobans in the end will suffer more and more if government doesn’t make this investment,” said Ross.

The 17,000 MGEU employees working without a contract include 11,000 government employees, 1,780 at Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corp., 1,716 at Manitoba Public Insurance, and 2,000 at Manitoba colleges.

-WITH FILES FROM CAROL SANDERS