Date: Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Place: Canad Inns (Ambassador A)
Time: 0630 – 2200
MNU taking part in 2023 Pride Winnipeg Parade
Pride Winnipeg will be celebrated this year during the week of May 26 to June 4, and MNU will once again be walking in the parade on Sunday, June 4.
This is our first parade since before the pandemic, so we are aiming for a strong showing of MNU members, friends and family!
We are asking Local/Worksite Presidents to please help us get the word out, so that as many members as possible can join us for the parade.
Here are the details:
We are asking members to please be at the assembly location of Memorial Park for 10 a.m. Marshals for our MNU walking group will be there with bright flags, so we should be easy to spot, but just in case, the MNU parade entry number is 74 and we will be located in aisle E.
There will be a rally at the Manitoba Legislature at 10 a.m. and then the parade will get underway at 11 a.m. starting at Memorial Park, right across the street from the Legislature.
The route begins at Memorial and York, then heads north on Memorial to Portage Avenue, turns east until Main Street, then continues on William Stephenson Way and ends at The Forks.
We have created a Facebook page that you can share to your Local/Worksite pages, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1649974038797775?active_tab=about
If you or your members have any questions, please contact comms@manitobanurses.ca
Since the government’s announcement earlier this month, we have heard from many MNU members that the current incentives do not address certain significant areas of nursing and nursing needs.
We know that we have well over 2,000 vacant nursing positions currently in our province. As our President Darlene Jackson has clearly stated, these new incentives are “a positive first step,” but more needs to be done in order to ensure effective and comprehensive measures are in place to properly address our dire nursing shortage in Manitoba.
For those of you that wish to send your concerns to the Health Minister, the Premier, and your MLA, please check behind the MNU Portal for some suggested templates that might assist you in drafting your concerns and communication.
For members who have not yet accessed the MNU Portal, you will need to first create an account and password. Please visit https://portal.manitobanurses.ca/ then click Sign Up Now. You will use your MNU ID number.
If you require a password reset, you can find the link on the Member Portal sign in page. Please note that you must already have an email address on file in order to reset your password.
If you require further assistance, contact the Membership Department at membership@manitobanurses.ca.
‘Channel Your Inner CouRAGE’ not only speaks to the gravity of the situation nurses currently find themselves in, but to the advocacy for both nurse and patient safety. Nurses have shown incredible courage during the COVID-19 pandemic on a multitude of levels. The capitalization of ‘RAGE’ is meant to highlight the dissatisfaction with the provincial government’s health care reforms, pandemic response and of course, four years without a collective agreement.
All T-shirts are $25 each and are available in crew and V-neck styles, available in three colours (white, charcoal and black), and come in various sizes. The white V-neck is a women’s fit, while the charcoal and black crew necks are a unisex fit.
To place an order email the Local 10 with your information: Name, crew or V neck style, size and colour.
As you may be aware, many MNU members are now required to sign a declaration for COVID-19 self-screening, prior to reporting to work. We are advising members that have yet to sign the self-assessment declaration to include the following note:
“I AM SIGNING THIS UNDER DURESS AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO MY RIGHTS UNDER THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT.”
A Message To Fellow Nurses At HSC
We have been called Heroes and there have been parades of recognition.
Children want NURSE action figures!
The Pandemic has highlighted the work nurses do – the risks we take to provide care, the challenges of providing care in difficult circumstances.
Ultimately we are human beings doing our best in uncertain times and situations.
We ask only for respect, honesty, and recognition for the difficult work we do and the sacrifices we make to do it.
These are unusual circumstances and times. It isn’t a time for real celebrations, but it is the Year of the Nurse and Midwife as well as Nursing Week, so please recognize one another with a smile (under your mask) a kind word or gesture, perhaps a nod of understanding – but take a moment to know that the world is truly a better place because all of you are in it doing what you do.
Thanks for everything you do now and always!
In solidarity
Your Local 10 MNU President
Lana Penner
Following weeks of delay, the Pallister government today announced the terms of the new ‘Risk Recognition’ Program. Despite what was announced, it appears that the vast majority of Manitoba’s nurses will not be included in the program.
All nursing classifications are listed as eligible, however, the criteria and income thresholds set by the government exclude the vast majority of nurses. Only a small number of part-time LPNs appear to be eligible, and only if they work significantly less than full time. All RNs, RPNs, NPs, and all full-time nurses appear to be completely shut out.
In order for ease of process if a WCB claim is pursued, MNU is advising all members to document any and all direct interactions with patients that have been confirmed to be positive for Covid-19.
If you are confirmed to be positive for Covid-19, and believe you have been exposed in the course of your work as a nurse; and require time off from work or medical attention due to illness, you must report this to your employer and contact the WCB.
The WCB will need to confirm that you had direct contact with a patient that is/was positive for Covid-19, in the course of your work as a nurse. Therefore, documenting exposure will assist in the adjudication of the claim with the WCB. We encourage nurses to consider these guidelines where they may come into contact with COVID-19 patients, in order to ensure ease of process if a WCB claim pursued:
Wear personal protective equipment provided by the employer. However, if you feel necessary on reasonable basis, that the equipment is insufficient and poses a safety hazard, notify the employer immediately. If the situation is not resolved by the employer, workers may wish to consider exercising their rights under the workplace safety and health act. A link for additional information for unsafe work refusal can be found at the following link: https://www.safemanitoba.com/topics/Pages/Right-to-Refuse.aspx
If you make direct contact with a patient who tests positive for Covid-19, report to your manager, complete a RL6, and include the following details:
- document the date of direct exposure
- the department that you work in
- the care you were providing to the patient
- the personal protective equipment you were utilizing
If you miss time from work or seek medical attention, report to your manager and contact WCB to report the claim.
We hope this information is of assistance during this difficult time. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as an employee, please contact your MNU Labour Relations Officer or Union Representative for assistance.