18,000 health-care support staff in Manitoba reach new tentative agreement with employers

The union representing 18,000 health-care support workers in Manitoba says it has reached a new tentative agreement with its employers.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says its community support and facility support staff working forShared Health and the Winnipeg, Southern andNorthern regional health authoritiesare covered under the new deal.

The workers representedincludehealth-care aides, home care attendants and dietary and clerical staff.

The tentative deal,which still needs to be ratified by CUPE members, was struck after only four months of negotiations, the uniontouted on its website. The current contract for these workers, which lasted seven years,expired in March.

The deal was reached more quickly than during the previous negotiation, which was conducted under the oversight of the former Progressive Conservative government.Then, bargaining lastedfor 21 months, and members worked for seven years without a new deal, CUPE said.

Bargaining was easier: CUPE

Shannon McAteer, the health-care co-ordinator for CUPE in Manitoba, said this bargaining experience was a "night and day" difference from the previous round.

"I guess there wasn't as much contention coming from the employer sidethat our [bargaining] committee had to take exception to, so that also helped."

The union said its members will receive a document outlining the agreement's highlights in the coming days and are invited to attend upcominginformation sessions. Members can voteon the agreement between Aug. 20-22.

Specific details of the tentative agreement will be released after CUPE's members have seen it, but McAteer saidthe contract is "very similar" to tentative agreements the province has reached with nurses and teachers, which set out annual wage hikes of 2.5 per cent in the first year, 2.75 per cent in the second year and threeper cent in each of the final two years of the deal.

She hopes CUPE's members feel the new contract shows their contributions to the health-care system are being recognized, "because that is something that we were demanding at the table more respect."

"We did share [with the employer] that the front-line support workers were not feeling respected and hopefullythat will come throughin the package when they get to see it."

TheManitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which representshealth-care support workers in the Interlake-Eastern and Prairie Mountain health regions, was still in negotiations as of Wednesday, its spokesperson said.