Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Oct 28/02) - Doug Workman will serve a second term as president of the Nunavut Employees Union.

He received the good news during the NEU convention that wrapped up Oct. 20 in Cambridge Bay.

Mitch Taylor will serve alongside Workman as first vice president and David Kaosoni takes on the role of second vice president. Kevin Niptaniak will serve as secretary treasurer.

All four union members will hold their spots on the union executive for a period of three years.

Workman, who has presided as union president since the NEU's inception in the fall of 1998, said the immediate task at hand was to host an election to fill the four regional vice president positions. According to union bylaws, that election must take place within 90 days of the convention's conclusion.

Describing the union's last four years as action-packed, Workman said the NEU needed to begin work on a new collective agreement with the Government of Nunavut.

The current collective agreement is set to expire March 31, 2003.

The union's focus during those negotiations is(to enhance Northern benefits packages for the 3,000 members they represent.

"We're still looking for parity and benefits for all (30) of our collective agreements," said Workman.

"We want those benefits to be reflective of the true cost of living," he said.