COMMUNICATION

MANITOBA HYDRO TO LAY OFF FRONT LINE WORKERS
 

Manitoba Hydro has announced plans to temporarily lay off 200 front line workers for a period of 4 months to take effect in early to mid-September, and lasting until early to mid-December 2020.  Approximately 36 other employees have avoided similar layoffs by accepting a salary reduction through a variety of unpaid days off instead.

The two employee groups affected by the proposed layoffs are the IBEW Local 2034 and Unifor 681.  The affected members of these groups differentiate themselves from other employees at Manitoba Hydro in that they are all part of the Corporation’s hands-on frontline workers.  This has been demonstrated by a number of facts.

During the COVID pandemic, these employees worked every day without fail to provide and protect the essential hydro-electric services that Manitobans depend on.  This has meant constantly putting themselves at risk of COVID-19 infection by going into the homes and farm properties of Manitobans, in much the same way as home care attendants or first-responders do. 

Normal work life routines have been completely disrupted.  During the course of providing their essential services, these employees have accepted multiple adjustments to shift times in order to minimize interpersonal contact and reduce the risk of COVID infection.  These have included working 6-8 weeks in remote areas without return to home, and extension of normal work days up to 12 hrs. a day with staggered start times.  Vehicles have been taken home and work days have started directly from employees’ driveways as another means of minimizing social contact and protecting the public.  Employees have had to undergo extensive COVID testing, and employees who work a regular 8:00 – 4:00 shift have agreed to living in a temporary camp set-up 24 hrs. a day if the need arises.

Premier Pallister promised earlier that frontline workers would not be hurt by the budgetary efficiencies he was seeking related to COVID-19.  This made sense, and was in keeping with his commendation of these same employees in October 2019 after they had distinguished themselves by providing admirable service during the “ice-storm” that gave rise the province’s state of emergency declaration.  Yet Hydro’s proposed layoffs for the premier’s declared “heroes” will cover the major ice-storm season and take these essential workers out of the province’s arsenal for dealing with repeat emergencies.  These employees cannot be defined as anything other than essential frontline workers.

As recently as last week, Premier Pallister was touting the need for special consideration to frontline workers who had helped keep the province running during the COVID pandemic.  His suggestion was that they should receive special monetary consideration for their efforts.  Manitoba Hydro’s approach is that their frontline workers should be repaid for their efforts by depriving them of their livelihood for 4 months.

To date, the unions representing the 202 employees being targeted for temporary layoff have been unable to arrive at a compromise similar to those of the 36 employees who have settled for a more palatable alternative.  At issue is Manitoba Hydro’s unwillingness to guarantee that if the unions settle on a more acceptable solution,

1. it will not seek further claw backs or roll backs in the future,
2. the work lost through any layoffs or forced days off will not be contracted out, either in or out of province, and
3. that any unpaid leave days agreed to will be authorized by managers and supervisors within the timeframe imposed by Hydro.

Manitoba Hydro has made engaging in productive dialogue very difficult.  The IBEW has provided numerous alternatives that would fund Hydro’s 3-day unpaid leave proposal, but the Corporation has refused to debate these in any depth.  At the beginning of this budgetary exercise, Hydro suggested the federal Work-Share program be utilized as a means of minimizing fallout to employees, while at the same time helping government reach its reduction target.  Since that time, it has made an about face and stated that it would not be worthwhile as the gain for high wage earners would be minimal.

Both unions threatened by layoffs view Hydro’s approach as massively unfair.  It targets frontline workers who, according to the Premier, should be protected and rewarded for putting themselves out there, at a time when other groups were able to self-isolate and protect themselves from COVID infection.  In its barest form, it targets workers simply because they happen to be in a convenient grouping that makes them easy to pick off. 

Hydro will certainly claim that it has the right to do this.  But few, if any, will believe that it’s the right thing to do.