Lab workers at Manitoba Dynacare locations vote in favour of strike mandate

A strike mandate has been approved by laboratory workers employed by Dynacare in Winnipeg and Brandon, Man. who have been in negotiations with the company since February, their union said in a news release issued Thursday.

The Brampton, Ont.-based company is a provider of medical laboratory testing and other health-related services across the country including in Manitoba.

The province also contracted Dynacare to operate several COVID-19 specimen collection sites.

The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP), which represents 300 members who work at private clinics, malls, and at Dynacare’s Winnipeg headquarters on King Edward Street, said its members are essential for collecting patient samples, analyzing specimens, and ensuring accurate and timely results are reported to doctors and other medical professionals.

Bob Moroz, the president of the MAHCP, said the strike mandate was approved with a 99 per cent vote.

The MAHCP said its members have been without a contract since Apr. 1, 2018.

“Our members’ wages were frozen in their last contract as a result of government legislation that has since been repealed,” Moroz said in the news release. “They will never make up those lost wages, but they are rightfully demanding a fair deal now, especially after the sacrifices they made during the pandemic.”

A spokesperson for the MAHCP told CTV News Winnipeg Dynacare insisted during the last round of negotiations with its members in 2018 that the company was bound by wage freeze legislation that was introduced by the Progressive Conservative government even though they are a private employer.

The legislation, which was introduced under former Premier Brian Pallister, has since been repealed by Premier Heather Stefanson even though the Manitoba Court of Appeal overturned a lower court’s decision which struck down the bill as an infringement on collective bargaining rights.

Dynacare didn’t respond directly to questions from CTV News Winnipeg regarding the government legislation and declined an interview request. In an email response, the company issued a brief statement on the heels of the union voting for a strike mandate.

“I am able to share that we respect our employees’ rights to organize and collectively bargain, and we will continue to work in partnership with their union as we work towards a timely resolution,” wrote Mark Bernhardt, Dynacare’s senior manager of corporate communications.

MAHCP said it would have to submit notice two weeks prior to striking, in compliance with labour legislation. The union said it has not submitted this notice but could at any time going although its preference is to negotiate.

CTV News Winnipeg has reached out to the Manitoba government for comment.