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Info picket at Westman Lab draws attention to recruitment, retention issues

These lab technologists and technicians "deserve an equitable wage, and Westman residents deserve the same quality of diagnostic care as those in Winnipeg and other areas." — Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU President

Winnipeg (20 April 2017) — On April 18, members of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE), who work as lab technologists and technicians from Westman Lab, held a lunch-hour information picket outside the Brandon Regional Health Centre to send a clear message to the provincial government: recruitment and retention issues at the lab are threatening diagnostic services for Western Manitobans.

Workers make 7% less than provincial counterparts 

“The members of MGEU Local 351 perform specialized testing for many, many patients across Manitoba. The work they do is vital to ensuring patients get an appropriate diagnosis and the treatment they need,” said MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky. “However, though it defies common sense, they currently make far less per hour than their counterparts working in other Manitoba labs.”

Westman Lab's 120 lab technologists and technicians have been without a contract for more than 3 years and are paid 7 per cent less than those who do the exact same work across the province.  

“These members are saying enough is enough,” said Gawronsky. "They deserve an equitable wage and Westman residents deserve the same quality of diagnostic care as those in Winnipeg and other areas."