Despite tabling an enhanced four-year collective agreement, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has been notified by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) of planned strike action by its 1,700 unionized employees effective August 28.

“It is very unfortunate that MGEU has rejected MPI’s enhanced offer, which includes a proposal to go directly to arbitration to settle the issue of general wage increases beyond the eight per cent already offered over the four-year term,” said Ward Keith, MPI Chairperson. “Arbitration is a fair and independent process that would have averted a strike and allowed MGEU an opportunity to make their case for higher general wage increases to an independent arbitrator. Instead, MGEU has chosen to create service disruptions for Manitobans by taking strike action that is completely unnecessary.”

With MGEU notice of strike action on Monday, MPI officials have now turned their attention to finalizing labour interruption plans that will maintain essential services while minimizing service disruptions to customers to the extent possible.

  • Customer enquiries and front-end service transactions will be directed from service centres to MPI’s broker partners.
  • The MPI Contact Centre will remain open for reporting personal injury claims, non-drivable collision claims, and total-theft claims.
  • All other claims will be referred directly to MPI-accredited repair shops for vehicle estimates and repairs. Please check our website for more information.
  • Customers with vehicles towed to the Physical Damage Centre compound will continue to have access to remove personal items.
  • Essential services such as income replacement payments for personal injury claimants will continue uninterrupted.
  • All existing Autopac policies and driver licences will remain valid through the labour interruption period.
  • Driver testing, estimating, and adjusting appointments scheduled for Monday will be cancelled and affected customers contacted to reschedule.

“I am satisfied that MPI officials have done everything they can to resolve the current labour dispute in a manner that would have averted strike action by MGEU,” said Keith. “Unfortunately, MGEU has rejected those efforts, so the Corporation’s focus now is on minimizing these unnecessary service impacts to our customers.”