WINNIPEG – the Manitoba Nurses Union announces that a tentative agreement has been reached with the Employers following seven weeks of mediation.
“It’s been a long four and a half years without a collective agreement. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our MNU Provincial Collective Bargaining Committee for their years of hard work on this, and especially over this past year. It was gruelling, but our committee never lost their determination to get a fair collective agreement for our members,” said MNU President Darlene Jackson, adding that she also expresses thanks to Mediator Arne Peltz and all those involved in the mediation process.
MNU will be holding members-only webinars in the coming days to provide information on the new collective agreement. There will also be an online Ratification Vote in which members will get the chance to cast their vote on the new collective agreement.
“Over the past year and a half, we have heard our members called pandemic heroes. We know our nurses have made huge sacrifices to keep our system afloat and more than deserve a fair collective agreement. 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.”
Due to the sensitive nature of this process and out of respect for every member’s autonomy in the upcoming vote, President Jackson will not be available for interviews until after the results of the Ratification Vote are made public.
MNU represents more than 12,000 nurses of all designations from across Manitoba.
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Media Contact:
Brandi Johnson
204-226-9803
bjohnson@manitobanurses.ca