HAY RIVER RESERVE - A union leader is optimistic the end may be near for a labour dispute at the NWT's only addictions treatment centre.

"We're just about there," said Todd Parsons. president of the Union of Northern Workers.

Angus McKay mans the picket line as the sun comes up Feb. 1 -- day 101 of the labour dispute. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Parsons was speaking Jan. 31 at the conclusion of two days of talks with management of the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre. The facility is located on the Hay River Reserve.

According to the union, the two sides are very close on all monetary issues, but there are still some non-monetary issues the employer wants addressed.

Parsons declined to go into specifics on those outstanding issues, other than to say the employer requested extra time to work on the language of a possible agreement.

Three more days of talks have been set for Feb. 5 to 7 in Hay River.

"While the union remains optimistic, we would have hoped to have it resolved today," Parsons said Jan. 31, which happened to be the day 100 of the strike.

On the picket line the following morning, worker Angus McKay said he hopes the dispute will soon be over.

"The sooner the better," said McKay, an evening attendant and occasional counsellor.

His son Brandon McKay, who works as a casual attendant, noted the workers' spirit remains good.

The workers - without a new contract since 2003 - have been off the job since Oct. 24 over wages and benefits.

Currently, there are 13 workers involved in the dispute. Two workers have left for other employment and four others have returned to work.

The workers picket the centre three times a day -- in the morning, at lunch and at the end of the work day.

Parsons said the picketing will continue until an agreement is reached and ratified.

The union president noted, while there were two full days of bargaining last week, not a lot of time was spent in face-to-face talks.

Instead, each side spent most of the time studying and discussing proposals as they were exchanged.

The treatment centre's bargaining team consisted of Margaret Thom and Pat Martel, two members of the organization's board of directors.

The union's team was made up of Parsons, chief negotiator Steve Bedingfield and a committee of three workers.

The negotiations - the first face-to-face talks in over three years - were arranged with the assistance of a federal conciliator. Executive director Melvin Larocque, the treatment centre's spokesperson during the dispute, could not be reached for comment.