Manitoba Hydro is offering workers unpaid days off in an attempt to cut costs during the COVID-19 pandemic as a less severe measure than the layoffs that were proposed earlier this month.
In an email to employees Friday, Manitoba Hydro president Jay Grewal said executives, managers and engineers will take three unpaid days off before the fiscal year ends next March, and a similar option was being discussed with unionized workers. “Our unions have been asked to respond by Wednesday of next week,” Grewal wrote.
Three weeks ago, the utility was seeking short-term salary reductions or up to 700 temporary layoffs to meet a directive from the Progressive Conservative government to cut $10.7 million.