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Back to the table
UNW, government resume contract talks

Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 20/00) - A new negotiator leads the Union of Northern Workers back to contract talks with the territorial government.

The Union of Northern Workers and the Government of the Northwest Territories bargaining teams resumed contract talks this week at the Yellowknife Inn. This is round two of the contract talks.

The second round of negotiations were to take place in July but an illness postponed the talks until this week.

Tom Clairmont, of the Public Service Alliance of Canada has replaced Michael Miller, also with the PSAC, as the UNW's chief negotiator.

The union team has eight members, among them UNW president Georgina Rolt-Kaiser.

Topics of discussion are unknown as a media blackout agreed to by the union and the territorial government earlier this year remains in effect.

On March 31, 2000, a two-year collective agreement between the UNW and the territorial government expired.

Until a new agreement is reached, the prior deal's terms and conditions remain in force.

There are about 3,000 GNWT employees affected by the current talks. The talks cover all UNW members working for the GNWT and its boards.