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Union negotiations reach impasse Jeanne Gagnon Northern News Services Published Monday, February 27, 2012
The GN workers, members of the Nunavut Employees Union (part of the Public Service Alliance of Canada), have been without a contract since Sept. 30, 2010. Both sides met with mediator Vince Ready in Iqaluit from Feb. 18 to 21 but negotiations reached an impasse, said Doug Workman, president of the Nunavut Employees Union. The union has proposed a three-year settlement of 3.25 per cent per year while the territorial government is offering one per cent, one per cent, two per cent and 2.75 per cent over four years, he added. This compares to last year's GN offering of a four-year collective agreement with no wage increase in the first year and one per cent in each of the following years, according to the NEU. The union was asking for five-per-cent per year and a Northern allowance reflective of what federal government employees get. Workman said the union has had to remove items out of its original offer at the request of the mediator because he told them the GN has a limited amount of money. "We had to go through our proposals and make it smaller. We wanted increases in annual leave. We wanted to have a travel day when people go out on holiday. We had to take that away," he said. "We were asking for the federal government isolation post allowance directive as our Northern allowance. "We had to give that up. Instead, what we're asking for is a formula that is transparent and indexable. In other words, it goes automatically up every year - that reflects the true cost of living in Nunavut and in any Nunavut community." Strike votes were held across the territory last fall, resulting in 85 per cent of unionized employees voting in favour of striking. They are not, however, in a legal strike position yet because they still don't have a ratified essential service agreement, which makes it official their jobs are considered essential for the safety and security of the public. Workman said they are working to have the agreement as soon as possible, adding if everything goes smooth, they could be in a legal strike position in the middle of March. Workman cautioned it does not necessarily mean they will picket because they have the right to choose what form of service disruption they want to proceed with. Government of Nunavut officials declined to comment. A number of unionized employees of the territorial government picketed for 45 minutes in front of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly in Iqaluit on Feb. 20 to show their support to the bargaining team and learn about the status of the negotiations between their union and the GN.
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