Manitoba Hydro workers begin job action after failed contract talks

Manitoba Hydro workers are on strike again after the union representing 2,300 front-line employees rejectedan offer from the corporation Thursday.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2034 began strike action at noon on Friday, placing restrictions on stand-by services, overtime work, and after-hours service call outs in some areas, according toMike Espenell, business manager of the union.

The labour dispute 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.

"It doesn't feel great. It's certainly not a position we want to be in," Espenell said.

IBEW Local 2034 issued a 48-hour strike notice to the public utility Wednesday. It sent official notification of strike action Friday morning.

"It's difficult, but I guess under the circumstances necessary to get, you know, what we need to achieve," said Espenell.

The union rejected an offer Thursday, which didn't include the reassurances the union is looking for, Espenell said.

It included a 1.75 per cent general wage increase for 2022, a general wage increase for 2023 to be determined through arbitration, and a service recognition payment of $1,600.

Manitoba Hydro spokespersonScott Powellsaid the offer Hydro submitted was fair, and it remains committed to coming to a solution with the union.

"It's not the outcome we hoped for. We believe that our offer demonstrated an ongoing commitment to finding a solution with IBEW that respects our customers, all Manitobans and treats all of our employees fairly," he said.

Espenell said the union, whose members include workers at generating stations and on transmission lines, is at "the bottom in the utility industry," with issues retaining and attracting workers.

"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," said Espenell. "We've really fallen out of scope and really fallen behind."

Manitoba Hydro has a contingency plan in place during the strike, but Powell said customers should be prepared for some services, like restoring power after an outage, to take longer than usual.

"We appreciate the impact this has on them and the inconvenience it is," Powell said. "It's not an easy situation for anybody our union members, other employees and their customers."

Espenell said he's not sure if the union will begin a rolling strike, in which strike action rolls from one workplace or department to the next one, but their main focus is trying to get the employer to come back to the table.

"They just haven't been very responsive," he said. "Essentially we're just going to hang tough and continue with our strike sanctions."