“The reality is that during the pandemic, unions have been at the forefront of constructive labour relations and have come up with solutions and ideas, and I don`t think the prime minister expected that,” Bergen said. Manitoba workers have the right to negotiate fair contracts with their employers. But in 2017, the Pallister government attacked this right for 120,000 public sector employees by putting in place crude legislation that sets wage freezes for two years by law, followed by minimum increases of 0.75 and 1 percent in the third and fourth years of a contract. Manitoba`s labour movement is taking the Pallister government to court for this unconstitutional legislation, but revoking it on September 10 would be a much faster way to get rid of this law and let Manitoba`s hired public sector employees return to the bargaining table. . . .
