CLASSIFIEDSADVERTISINGSPECIAL ISSUESONLINE SPORTSOBITUARIESNORTHERN JOBSTENDERS

NNSL Photo/Graphic



Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size Email this articleE-mail this page

Energy Corp. union workers strike
140 power employees take action for wage increase

Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 29, 2015

KIVALLIQ
Qulliq Energy Corp.'s 140 unionized employees, without a contract since late 2013, were on strike as the clock struck 12:01 a.m. July 16.

At issue is a wage increase.

"They (employees) don't want this. No one wants this," said Bill Fennell, president of the Nunavut Employees Union on the afternoon of July 22.

Striking workers in Rankin Inlet agreed they would prefer not to be striking, but say it's necessary.

"They're also not going to settle for a loaf of bread and a bag of milk," adds Fennell.

The union wants a three-year contract with wage increases of 2.15 per cent and 2.25 per cent in the first two years. The union says the Government of Nunavut is offering one per cent.

"That's what one per cent to an entry level person answering the phones ... that's what they're offering, a bag of milk and a loaf of bread every two weeks," said Fennell, adding employees could not allow the government to bully them.

"And I quote what they said to us Saturday (July 11) afternoon, 'You said you were going to go on strike in December, you didn't go on strike.

"'You said you were going to go in January, you didn't go on strike.

"'You said you were going to go in March.' We didn't go on strike in March because Pang burned down and our members wanted to work.

"Then they said, 'We're in July and we're still waiting for you to go on strike.' That's a direct quote from the negotiator from the government.

"Then they put out that piece of crap that we walked away from the table."

The GN and the union engaged in a numbers war through news releases July 22 and 23, each accusing the other of misinformation and putting out wrong numbers related to wages and cost of living.

In a news release, the energy corporation states it is offering a six per cent wage increase over four years.

While members are off work, there is an essential services agreement in place. Superintendents are on the job to make sure the plants are operating.

"If there's some sort of emergency or power outage the operator will be called in to assist, and if they need mechanics or whatever, those people will be made available," said Fennell.

On July 20, an emergency team was reportedly dispatched to Whale Cove to manage a 10-hour power outage.

He adds communities won't be affected in terms of power, but that the lives of members and their families and, by extension, the people in their communities are affected "because the government is unwilling to even negotiate."

Besides Iqaluit with approximately 80 employees, Baker Lake is the hardest hit as QEC employs about 40 people in that community.

There are also smaller offices in Rankin Inlet, with about a dozen employees, and Cambridge Bay, as well as employees at power plants across Nunavut.

While on strike, members will have financial support.

"There's a $32-million fund behind them that will pay them strike pay. They know what that is. They will get paid," said Fennell.

Asked if there was any hope for an 11th hour resolution before the strike started, Fennell had said, "Not unless the minister and the premier step in. It's obvious the company has nothing to do with it - it's all Chris D'Arcy (deputy minister of Finance) and Keith Peterson (minister of Finance) ... So unless they're prepared to step in and are prepare to do the right thing, our members have no choice."

But there was no 11th hour reprieve, the strike proceeded and was entering its second week.

E-mailWe welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.