Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 31/01) - The 450 teachers outside Yellowknife will receive a pay and benefits hike over the next two years if an agreement reached Saturday is ratified.

The new contract was drafted after all-day talks by negotiating teams from the government and the NWT Teachers' Association working through mediator Vince Ready.

"We both reached an agreement that is fair and reasonable and will ensure that we can continue to have teachers recruited to the North and compensated in a reasonable manner," said Sylvia Haener, director of labour relations and compensation.

Under the terms of the tentative accord teachers will receive a 5.5 per cent pay and allowances increase over the next two years, a $250 increase in professional allowance, increases to the Northern allowance for cost of living and a six-month increase in parental leave.

The previous contract expired Aug. 31 of this year. Previous bargaining sessions to draft a new agreement took place March and May 2001.

Teachers and the Financial Management Board, which overseas labour relations and compensation, will vote on the agreement by Nov. 7.

The NWTTA plans to continue arguing for improvements in living conditions for teachers.

"In some of our communities there are housing conditions which are of concerns to teachers, and we want to find a way by which we can address those," said NWTTA president David Murphy. "Obviously that will be outside of the collective agreement now."

Some teachers were positive about the contract.

"I'm happy with this offer," said Gordon Miller, principal of Harry Camsell elementary school in Hay River. "It seems like the package is an improvement. I have confidence in our central executive, that they're recommending to us what they're considering to be a reasonable deal."