'A lot of claims to go through': Backlog of work waiting for returning MPI employees

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) workers returning to the office after a two-month strike have a massive backlog of work waiting for them.

"There's a lot of claims to go through and there's a lot of road testing that has to be done," said Carmen Nedohin, chair of the MPI board of directors.

The union representing MPI employees announced Wednesday evening that its members voted in favour of a tentative agreement that was reached on Tuesday.

Now that the strike is over, Nedohin said there are around 11,000 insurance claims that must be processed. However, she added that not all of the claims are urgent.

"While I understand that every claim is really important, individuals say that have had hail damage, they are not as critical as the individuals who maybe have had a complete write-off of their vehicle, or whose vehicle was not drivable until repairs could be completed," Nedohin said.

She said MPI management is pitching in to help process the claims as quickly as possible, and the corporation is also offering overtime to help get through the backlog.

"We're trying to get those people in as quickly as possible and through the system," said Nedohin, noting that the speed of repairs will also depend on supply chain issues.

The strike began on Aug 28, when 1,700 MPI workers walked off the job looking for better wages. MPI services were severely limited during the strike as only approximately 200 employees remained.

Nedohin said there's also a backlog of around 15,000 road tests that need to be conducted.

"Those individuals will be getting either a text or an email from the corporation within the next few days giving them a new date and a new time for their test," she said, adding that appointments can be rescheduled if needed.

Nedohin said it's going to be a few months before MPI gets back to normal.

"All I can do is ask Manitoba ratepayers to be patient with us a little bit longer while we try and get through all of this and get our services back on track," she said.