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'If GOLICO members vote in favour of a strike mandate, this will give their committee the authority to call for strike action if necessary.' - MGEU.
Winnipeg (19 Aug. 2009) - The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE) is asking members employed by the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) to give negotiators a strike mandate because of a lack of "any meaningful progress at the bargaining table."
"The process has been extremely slow to this point, due in part to the fact that the employer still has not received their mandate from the province," the union says in an update to members of its Government Liquor Commission (GOLICO) component.
"The other main stalling point is that the employer is refusing to take members' proposals seriously," MGEU says.
"To make matters worse, they have also introduced several concessionary demands, which the GOLICO bargaining committee feels are unacceptable. The committee’s goal from day one was to bargain a new contract without resorting to any work disruptions or stoppages. However, the committee has determined that the only way to have their proposals taken seriously is to get a strike mandate from the membership."
MGEU says the commission refuses to discuss union bargaining proposals involving part-time scheduling, the store management development program (SMDP), full-time positions and hours of work.
Meanwhile, concessions being demanded by the commission include changes that would erode seniority rights and also impact promotion, layoff and recall procedures; extend the work week by eliminating current schedules and affecting wage premiums; interfere with the grievance and arbitration procedures, and impose new restrictions on sick leave.
"For decades GOLICO bargaining committees have fought for many of these rights and benefits," MGEU says. "The current committee does not wish to see it all vanish in one round of negotiations. That is why they are asking GOLICO members to attend their next local meeting and vote YES to give their bargaining committee a strike mandate."
Notices for dates and locations of strike mandate meetings have been mailed to all members. Bargaining representatives will be at each of the meetings to answer questions.
"Further bargaining sessions are scheduled," MGEU adds. "If GOLICO members vote in favour of a strike mandate, this will give their committee the authority to call for strike action if necessary."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE