Iqaluit (Feb 23/04) - Contract talks between the Nunavut Employee's Union and the government are taking a while.

The two sides have finished the third round of talks and union reps say there is still much progress that needs to be made.

Mitch Taylor, vice-president of the NEU, said there still isn't any agreement on issues such as health and dental plans, structure for Northern allowance and incorporating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the collective agreement.

"We bring these issues to the table and the response we get is 'No. That's not in our mandate,'" he said.

The union is still hopeful an agreement can be made between the two sides.

"Some of the issues show a lot of initiative from the employer," said Taylor.

Some areas the two sides have signed off on are training and professional development, an improved job evaluation process and religious observances.

"We still have so much distance between our positions that it's going to take a lot of work to come to an agreement," he said.

Although talks between the union and government are slowing down, Taylor said there are no thoughts about work action.

"We want to resolve the contract without any problems," said Taylor.

Gary Pinto, chief negotiator for the GN, said he thinks the two sides have made good progress at the bargaining table.

"There is a lot of information that we have to go through," he said. "It's going to take time."

While the government is trying to resolve the outstanding contract, Pinto explained it also faces tight budget constraints.

"We have to be responsible employers, but we also have to be responsible to the people of Nunavut," he said. "I'm hopeful that we can come to an agreement that everyone is happy with."

The union has been without a contract since April 1, 2003.