Manitoba civil service union fought wage freeze, wins retroactive pay hikes
Some 11,000 Manitoba civil servants have won retroactive pay raises after fighting government demands for a wage freeze.
An arbitration board has awarded annual pay hikes of between 0.5 per cent and two per cent going back to 2019, plus interest.
The Progressive Conservative government tried to impose a two-year wage freeze on new contracts across the public sector starting in 2017, with small hikes in years three and four.
The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union went to court and won the right to arbitration for its members, and the arbitration board handed down its ruling Wednesday.
A bill to enact the wage freeze was a key factor in former premier Brian Pallister's plan to balance the budget, but his replacement, Heather Stefanson, is in the process of repealing the bill.
Union president Kyle Ross says the court battle was worth the effort.
"We knew that the only path to a fair settlement was through the interest arbitration process," Ross said in a written statement Wednesday night.
"Going that route and fighting the wage freezes has paid off -- civil service members will get wage increases in every year of this four-year contract."
The collective agreement expires next year, and Ross says that means the two sides will be back at the bargaining table soon to work toward a new deal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.