Iqaluit (July 02/01) - Strike, what strike?

As Iqaluit's labour dispute reaches day 80, it's largely business as usual for the city -- aside from the rotting mountain of bagged garbage and an absence of recreation programs.

Now the city wants to privatize garbage collection. Coun. Glenn Williams said the move has nothing to do with the labour dispute.

Court order Nunavut court Judge Beverly Brown issued a court order Friday re-opening Iqaluit's landfill site to the public. The city sought the injunction after striking union members blockaded and vandalized non-union vehicles at the dump last month. The order states only six striking union members may picket the landfill site at one time. Picketers are not to use "abusive, provocative or obscene comments." Nor are they to stop contracted labour or residents from depositing garbage at the site. The 19-point injunction includes mandatory weekly meetings between the city and union to discuss difficulties arising from the court order. Browne noted the union's right to strike when handing down her decision. Those not complying with the injunction face being arrested.

"This is not being done out of spite or frustration ... it's just part of a process already in place," Williams said.

Council unanimously approved a request for garbage collection proposals at last week's meeting.

Could this be the beginning of the much-ballyhooed economic shift from public service to private enterprise in Iqaluit?

City senior administrative officer Rick Butler says no.

"There is no grand plan to privatize. Council wants the city running efficiently. (With garbage collection) we want a system working with our solid waste management plan," says Butler.

Several businesses were already "very interested," Butler said.

The next step is a meeting between the city and the union. Without an agreement between the two parties, reaching a deal won't be easy.

"That's hypothetical. The first step is consultation and follow the obligations under the expired collective agreement," Butler said. "If we can't work it out there are some other ways of doing it."

Three garbage collection employees stand to lose their jobs, only to be immediately re-hired by the new contractor, a stipulation to be outlined in the agreement.

Arguably, the Nunavut Employees Union, which represents the city's 85 striking employees, will lose bargaining power if unionized jobs are contracted out.

An audibly tired Doug Workman, who heads the union, did not appear alarmed by the news. Privatization is not in the union's best interest, he said. But he did not denounce the move.

"It's too soon. I don't really know what this is about yet," Workman said.

Union members are already jumping ship, largely for economic reasons. Six workers crossed the picket line and returned to work last month. Another dozen workers are working other jobs.

The union is also losing public support from citizens like Leah Inutiq.

"It is embarrassing to the whole world what the NEU is doing to our community," Leah Inutiq told council.

"We have enough social problems in our community without being helped by your organization by pressuring people (to live) in this horrible living condition."

The city has requested an injunction to clean up a massive rotting pile of bagged wasted and furniture -- ironically located in front of City Hall. With the force of law behind them, picketers could be arrested if they blockade the dump.