On February 11, CUPE Manitoba President Gina McKay presented a number of CUPE priorities to the Manitoba Minister of Finance during the government’s budget consultation.
McKay highlighted the importance of investing in good Manitoba jobs, bringing services and work back in-house from the previous government’s privatization, and rejecting continued privatization of public services.
“It’s time to take a critical look at what government has allowed to be contracted out over the years and make the changes necessary to ensure that we are creating good jobs here at home, while protecting Manitobans from mean-spirited threats and chaos caused by the politics south of the border.” – Gina McKay, CUPE Manitoba President.
Some examples provided by McKay included:
- ending the use of agency staffing in our health care system a top priority
- bringing contracted-out IT and other technical work back in-house
- addressing safety issues through non-policing methods of safety such as addictions treatment, safe consumption sites, community safety officers, and a housing strategy
- launch a school division managed/delivered pilot project for before and after school care for school-age children
- ensuring education support staff have access to a defined benefit pension plan, and addressing the rural-urban wage gap is addressed
These are just a few of the positions CUPE is advocating for in addition to ensuring adequate funding for public services, better wages for workers, and more. The minister invited CUPE to continue to provide feedback on the budget as it is being developed.