City, workers prepared for the long haul
Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (May 07/01) - People sit on plastic lawn chairs surrounding a crackling fire.
Two men toss a football while vehicles honk in support of the locked-out Nunavut Employees Union municipal workers.
The mood among the picketers three weeks into the lock out is surprisingly light. Local 6 president Gordon McIntosh pointed to the flip side.
"Things will never be the same," McIntosh said. "There is anger everywhere, at the union and at the Town."
On April 17, city officials locked out its 85 municipal workers. Contract negotiations stalled after union members failed to deliver adequate water household supplies. At least 30 of the 85 employees remain at work providing water, sewer and emergency services on a rotating basis under an essential services agreement.
NEU members have been without a contract since June 1999. Among the issues is a job classification scheme that's divided the two sides since 1993.
Settling it could cost several million dollars in retroactive pay.
"I don't want to get into exact figures but the numbers are coming down on both sides. We're not as close as the Town would like, but we're not that far apart," said McIntosh.
Neither side expects to be back at the bargaining table anytime soon.
"We definitely want to settle this but we're just so far apart. We feel our offer is very, very reasonable. We're disappointed the union has not been more responsive," said mayor John Matthews.
"Look at the package they have today compared to other municipal or government employees. It's more competitive than some."
On the line
Cory Chegwyn, fire and ambulance station captain, is on the picket line.
"My wife and I are still making mortgage payments and paying bills, but there isn't much left," Chegwyn said. "There's going to be a lot of bad feelings for a long time to come."
Picketers receive $50 tax-free pay for every five-hour shift covered from Monday to Friday. The union's strike fund is backed by the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
With one firefighter on health leave and another leaving town this week, emergency services is down to four employees. Six crew members is the norm. Fire chief Neville Wheaton approached the union about bringing Chegwyn back.
"The load comes back to the people on the floor," Wheaton said.
"I'd like Cory back (during the lock out) to fill in on a rotation."
The lock out followed a flood of complaints about insufficient water delivery over the Easter weekend.
The NEU, under work to rule at the time, said the holiday Friday and Monday cut into deliveries.
Water worries ease
The labour trouble resulted in Chief medical health officer Ann Roberts' ordered that all households receive 800 litres of water a day, but diminished fears of disease has led to that amount being reduced.
Roberts, in consultation with the city and union, recently adjusted the amount to 100 litres per person, per household.
"We recognize it's not the normal amount but we've had very few complaints and no outbreaks of diarrhoeal illness," Roberts said.
The health order does not apply to businesses or schools, buildings that receive water from utilidors.
Recreation facilities remained closed last week and mounds of bagged garbage were growing throughout the city. Some businesses are storing waste in sealift containers. The Baffin Regional Hospital is burning most of its garbage.
Potholes are deepening, as they do this time of year. Bob Hanson, whose RJ Hanson Construction holds the district's school bus contract, told the District Education Authority that buses will be pulled if road conditions deteriorate. The April 26 letter cited safety and mechanical concerns.
Last week, the city announced it's taking the union to court over compromised water and sewer delivery. In return, the NEU has charged the city with unfair bargaining practices.
"It's a waiting game. Remember, they're the ones that locked us out, they're the ones with the money," McIntosh said.
