1,700 MPI workers set to strike Monday: Union

As one Manitoba public employee strike ends, another begins.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) employees will be hitting the picket line Monday as negotiations between the public insurer and the Manitoba General Employees Union (MGEU) broke down last week.

"Since a deal was not reached this weekend, all MGEU members working at MPI will take job action tomorrow. This is a full walkout across the province," said MGEU president Kyle Ross.

The 1,700 MPI employees who are MGEU members will be on strike as of Monday morning. This includes estimators, adjusters, workers in the call centre, and service centre reps, among others.

MPI said in a news release that the union rejected an offer worth "17 per cent in total monetary value." Ross says that number is misleading.

"They've thrown in benefits," he said. "Our members can't eat benefits, you can't pay your mortgage with benefits. We never characterize a deal like that. No employer does."

Ross said the current offer is an eight per cent wage increase over four years. He says that's not enough.

"It gives 53 per cent of our members a fair deal…we're looking for a deal that helps all our members."

MPI said its contact centre will stay open during the strike for personal injury claims, non-drivable collision claims, and total-theft claims only.

Customers with non-contentious collision claims will be referred directly to MPI-accredited repair shops for vehicle estimates and repairs, and all front-end service transactions will be directed to private insurance brokers.

This includes insurance and licence renewals as well as the purchase of new insurance plans.

All driver testing will be temporarily suspended, but MPI said they will resume as soon as possible using contracted service providers.

Essential services such as income replacement payments for personal injury claimants will continue uninterrupted.

MPI says all existing Autopac policies and driver's licences will stay valid through the strike period.