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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The GNWT could face a territory-wide strike in August if government employees vote 'yes' in a strike vote this month, according to Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers.

The first strike vote was held at the Yellowknife Inn on April 3 and the final vote is scheduled to take place in Inuvik on April 19. Ballots will likely be counted at the end of the month and if the result is a resounding yes, the union will go into the next round of bargaining with a strengthened position, Parsons said.

"I would suggest that if we get a very positive strike mandate that the employer may be more willing to try to resolve some of the outstanding UNW issues that remain on the table," he said.

Both sides agreed to work with a mediator and on April 2 it was announced that Colin Taylor, a chartered mediator and arbitrator with more than 30 years of experience, would help the GNWT and Union of Northern Workers work toward a new collective agreement.

Although a schedule for mediation sessions had yet to be set as of Thursday, Parsons said they will likely be held in the second week of July.

The union president said he has doubts those talks will go anywhere.

"I'd like to remain optimistic, however the employer hasn't indicated any willingness to try to resolve the outstanding issues prior to that, which causes me concern," he said.

The GNWT and the Union of Northern Workers have been negotiating a new collective agreement since December but, after three rounds of negotiations, talks broke off in March.

Both sides failed to agree on pay increases, whistleblower protection, mandatory rest periods, equal treatment of shift workers, giving priority to casual workers residing in the NWT and the ability to bank overtime.

"When times are good, we are providing respectable, very generous increases in compensation. This time we're modest because of our fiscal situation," said Sheila Bassi-Kellett, deputy minister of the Department of Human Resources, after talks broke off in March.

Over the last 12 years, accumulative increases in compensation for government employees have been 38 per cent, compared to a 28 per cent increase in cost of living, she said.

If both parties fail to come to an agreement during the July mediation sessions, Parsons said a strike could occur as early as August.

Although an essential service agreement is in place, residents would still be hit hard, he said.

"It would be widespread and affect every community," he said.

Health care centres would shut down, public works and services would stop operating and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment would close, as well as numerous other offices.

The union represents about 3,700 government workers. Their collective agreement was set to expire on March 31, but will now stay in effect until both parties reach an agreement or a strike occurs.

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