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Grievance Procedures

If you have a situation at your workplace that you believe might be grievable, talk to your steward immediately.

If you don’t know who your steward is, and for some reason they are not available, call the MGEU Resource Centre at (204) 982-6438 or toll-free at 1-866-982-6438. Resource Centre staff will put you in touch with your Local steward, or your Local staff representative

Your steward or staff rep will meet with you, and help determine if a grievance can be filed. Once a formal file has been started, the staff rep for your Local will be there to safeguard your interests and your rights throughout the process.

It’s always a good idea to sit down and write out the situation as you have experienced it. This written documentation may prove crucial.
It’s also crucial that you are up-front with your staff rep about your situation. If they don’t have all the facts, your case will be weakened.

NOTE: As a confidentiality precaution, it’s recommended that you either meet with MGEU staff or speak on the phone, rather than contact him by e-mail in your place of employment.

MORE INFO ABOUT GRIEVANCES AND ARBITRATION

Every day, problems arise in workplaces that require the objectivity of a third party to resolve. An employee may feel they have been unfairly dismissed, are the victim of sexual harassment, or have evidence that management is ignoring terms that they agreed to in the written contract.

When such cases arise, the MGEU has people in your workplace as well as hired Staff Representatives who ensure fairness for our members. They will attend to your concerns and attempt to rectify the situation with the employer.

If they are unable to find a resolution through this process, the steward or Staff Representative can file a formal grievance on your behalf. In each case, the decision to file a grievance is based on merit. When the issue can’t be settled through the formal grievance procedures outlined in your collective agreement, it may proceed to the MGEU’s Screening Committee.

The Screening Committee carefully reviews the merits of each grievance, and makes a decision on whether to proceed to arbitration. If they proceed, the MGEU’s arbitration staff will try to negotiate a satisfactory resolution on behalf of the aggrieved. If a settlement cannot be reached, the arbitration advocate will determine what appropriate settlement dispute mechanism will be used to resolve the grievance. If the matter proceeds to arbitration, an experienced arbitration advocate will argue the case. An independent arbitrator will determine if the grievance will succeed, be dismissed, or create an alternative solution as per his/her jurisdiction.

If the Screening Committee determines that the grievance should not proceed to arbitration, the member can appeal their decision to the Grievance and Appeals Committee, an eight-person committee comprised of elected members. If the committee disagrees with the recommendation of the Screening Committee, the case will be referred to arbitration. If the Grievance and Appeals Committee concurs with the decision, the grievance is withdrawn and the matter is concluded.