April 15, 2020

Greetings Brothers and Sisters;
 
I’m writing to you in the hopes of relieving some of the fears that have no doubt come to the surface lately as a result of President Grewal’s message to staff on Tuesday of this week.  When listening to Premier Pallister talk of his hopes to improve the province’s financial position on the backs of those employed by the public service and Manitoba’s crown corporations, it’s only natural to fear for the worst.
 
However, as the seriousness and scale of the Covid-19 pandemic are unprecedented, the truth is that nobody knows for sure what’s going to happen.  As you’ve seen in the President’s message, the Corporation is going through scenarios on how to reduce its expenditures.  Her list of considerations includes the possibility of measures that might affect our members in negative ways.  But that said, it is only a possibility at this time.  The Corporation appears to be trying to alert us to this option so that we might prepare ourselves as best we can, should workforce reductions materialize down the road.
 
Just because the possibility of workforce reductions has been identified, doesn’t mean that this is inevitable, or even a done deal.  Although the union can’t guarantee that reductions won’t take place, we can promise members, that we’ll be working diligently with Hydro to exhaust every other imaginable option before affecting the livelihood of our members.  We’re not going to lay down and roll over.  We’ll use every tool at our disposal to convince the Corporation that there are better ways to go forward at this time, than by sacrificing those who provide Manitobans with our essential service.
 
As we continue to work to protect members’ jobs and security, we’ll be keeping you informed of any developments as they occur.  At this stressful time, I’d encourage you to focus on the health and well-being of you and your families, and not add to your anxiety by accepting worst-case scenarios as inescapable. 
 
At present, we’re all enduring some discomfort with social distancing and the like.  Let’s resist adding to that burden by concentrating on how we can best get through this with the least disruption possible.  Know that we’ll be doing our part by consulting, advising, and proposing feasible options to the corporation.  The suggestions we’ll be advocating for, will have your best interests at heart, and will strive to protect all our members.

In solidarity,

Business Manager
IBEW Local Union 2034