Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 18/01) - For the first time in strained wage negotiations between the territorial government and teachers the word strike has passed over the lips of union president David Murphy.
"A strike is one of the options we have to consider," Murphy said in a press release issued two days after talks ground to a halt May 14th.
The sides were too far apart on issues like living conditions, he said without providing details.
By the end of June teachers will have in their hands a list of outstanding issues.
"Members need to know the status of negotiations before school closes for the summer," Murphy said.
Both sides have requested a mediator. This is the third time the union; called the NWT Teachers' Association, and parties on the other side of the table have announced the need for a middleman.
The Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and its teachers recently joined counterparts in the city's Catholic School system in taking the mediation route to resolve contract issues for Yellowknife teachers.
A mediator has not been selected.
On May 17 Yellowknife Education District No. 1 reached an agreement with about 35 secretaries, janitors and maintenance workers.
They will be getting six per cent wage increases over the next two years plus a signing bonus, according to United Steelworkers Local President Karyne Daniels.
Workers went without a contract for the current year.
Daniels said sides had trouble getting together because of a retirement on the union side of the negotiating table and later on, a heart attack on the school board side.
Once negotiators got together it took just four days to reach a settlement.
"The process went very well," she said.
