Phone: 204-944-2034
LOCAL 2034
Workforce Adjustment Update - 12 June, 2020
Updated On: Jun 12, 2020

12 June, 2020


Dear Sisters and Brothers;
 

12 June, 2020 – Workforce Adjustment Update


As you have probably heard, CUPE has just agreed to accepting all of its membership taking three unpaid days off to provide Hydro with monetary savings it has identified as needing to come from CUPE labour costs.  By doing so, CUPE has avoided having 28 of its members laid off for a period of 4 months.  CUPE only agreed to this after lengthy discussions and negotiation with the Corporation.
 
As a similar offer has been made available to IBEW 2034 and our sister union Unifor, some of you are undoubtedly wondering why we have not approved following the same path.  To that end, I want to explain IBEW’s position in this matter and the reasoning behind it.
 
IBEW’s position is that layoffs targeted at our members is unfair, and by extension, any alternate suffering offered to replace those layoffs is also unfair.  Our claim of unfairness is not just an automatic response to a concession being asked of us by our employer.  Quite the contrary.  It’s based on being treated in a discriminatory fashion by Hydro, and in contravention of a public commitment made by the Premier of this province.
 
Unlike the employee groups at Manitoba Hydro that have accepted unpaid days, IBEW and Unifor are significantly different.  Members who are being targeted for layoff, are essential front-line workers.  During this entire COVID-19 pandemic, our members have not diminished or withdrawn their services.  They’ve not been able to work from home, as their jobs necessitate being on site at various locations across the province.  During this same timeframe, our members have exposed themselves to possible infection from the novel corona virus by going into homes and farms in order to insure continued safe and reliable power to customers.
 
When Premier Pallister first called for workforce adjustment through layoffs, he cited the lack of work for certain groups of employees such as casino workers, and suggested that if there was no work for them, they should remain at home.  However, it wasn’t too long before he openly acknowledged that certain public sector employees should be immune to layoffs or cutbacks because of the essential front-line nature of their work.  Caregivers, nursing home attendants, corrections workers and seasonal employees were among those exempted from layoffs or work reductions.  Apparently, government does not classify these employees as discretionary or non-essential expenditures.
 
The IBEW’s position is quite simple.  The proposed layoffs are counter to what the government has done for essential front-line workers everywhere else in the province.  Our members have not been able to work from home.  They’ve had to arm themselves with PPE in order to carry on their required duties. They’ve had no choice but to put themselves and their families at risk of infection. They’ve had to contend with compounded family responsibilities such as child care while having to continue working away from home.  Laying off or reducing paid days as a repayment for their efforts is not appropriate and certainly not fair.
 
But, having said all that, I want to be clear that the IBEW recognizes a sense of obligation to help resolve the Corporation’s financial dilemma.  It’s for that reason that we continue to provide the Corporation with creative and feasible options to consider instead of imposing layoffs or unpaid days that take away from the positive contributions made by our members.  Not having reached an agreement yet is not a sign of stubbornness.  We truly believe that there is a better solution out there, and we will continue making every effort to reach a resolution that works for our members and for Hydro.  We want our members to be successful, and that means wanting our employer to be successful as well.
 
You can be sure that once we’ve reached the best solution possible, we’ll be sending it out for your endorsement.

In solidarity,


Business Manager
IBEW Local Union 2034


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Contact Info
IBEW Local 2034
1907 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3J 0H9 CANADA
  204-944-2034

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