About 350 Dynacare medical lab workers go on strike in Manitoba in wage dispute

Workers who carry out medical diagnostic tests across Manitoba went on strike Tuesday morning, just hours before the province was slated to try to get them ordered back to work.The 350 lab technicians and technologists with private operator Dynacare hit the picket lines at 8 a.m. local time. The lines were slated to go up in Winnipeg, Brandon, Winkler and Steinbach.In the northern part of Winnipeg, 75 supporters and employees picketed outside a Dynacare location, marching back and forth on the sidewalk under overcast skies. They wore blue and white vests bearing the words MAHCP On Strike.They held aloft signs saying Honk in Support and were greeted by a chorus of honks from passing cars and semi-trucks.Wages are at the heart of the dispute. The union says its workers earn as much as 20 to 50 per cent less than counterparts in the public system.Dynacare is the primary collector of routine lab work, including blood samples, urinalysis and prenatal testing. Shared Health, the provincial health provider that does diagnostic testing for hospitals, has said it will extend hours and capacity to try to meet the shortfall.The staffers are not designated essential workers, but Premier Wab Kinew’s government wants to change that. The province was set later Tuesday to ask the Manitoba Labour Board to designate Dynacare’s laboratory services as essential and order employees to remain at work while the board considers the case.Labour Minister Malaya Marcelino’s application says a halt in Dynacare collection and testing is catastrophic for Manitoba’s healthcare system.The staffers have been without a collective agreement since March 31. That same month, the union and Dynacare agreed an essential services agreement wasn't necessary. Jason Linklater, the union's president, has criticized the provincial government for interfering with contract negotiations.Dynacare is the exclusive provider of community-based medical laboratory testing in the province. The for-profit company is based in Ontario but owned by an American parent company and has been providing services in Manitoba since 2017.

About 350 Dynacare medical lab workers go on strike in Manitoba in wage dispute

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