Manitoba may face another strike after MPI workers reject Crown corporation's latest offer

The number of government employees on strike in Manitoba could mount as staffwith the province's public insurer are now preparingto hit the picket lines.

Unionized workers with Manitoba Public Insurance "overwhelmingly" voted to reject the latest contract offer in favour ofstrike action, according to a Thursday night news release from theManitoba Government and General Employees' Union.

Voting started last week in rural and northern Manitoba and finished up Thursday evening in Winnipeg, the union said. Itdidn't provideinformation on how many members voted or the percentage who declined the offer.

No official strike date has been set, but strike preparations are set to begin Friday morning, the release stated.

The unionsaid it wantsMPI to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair settlement andavert job action.

MGEU says it's looking for wage increases that keep up with the growing cost of living, but the Crown corporation'slast offer was limited to a two per cent annual wage increase.

Manitoba'sconsumer price index rose 7.8 per cent in 2022, after increasing 3.3 per cent in 2021, according to a report released by the province earlier this year.

The MGEU represents approximately 1,700 Manitoba Public Insurance workers at locations in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Brandon, Dauphin, Thompson, The Pas, Arborg, Beausejour, Selkirk, Steinbach and Winkler. Their last contractexpired in September 2022.

The union also represents about 1,400workers with ManitobaLiquor & Lotteries, who are in the second week of a provincewide strikeafterlimited job action such asday-long strikes and walkouts that starteda month ago.

Bargaining teams from the union and Liquor & Lotteriesare scheduled to returnto negotiationson Friday.

Meanwhile, unionized workers at Manitoba's land titles offices, also represented by MGEU, began job action in late July by refusing overtime. That later escalated with targeted strikes by certain departments.

As of Aug. 11, half of the 70 workersatTeranetManitoba the service provider for Manitoba's land titles system and personal property registry were fully on strike.

Most arelocated inWinnipeg, but there are offices inMorden, Brandon, Dauphin, Neepawa, and Portage la Prairie.