Nunavik teachers, employer close in on deal

The Kativik School Board’s negotiating committee says the school board faces a shortage of staff housing for teachers. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

(updated at 2:00 p.m.)

An agreement-in-principle between Nunavik’s teachers and their employers is “almost there,” a spokesperson for the employer’s negotiating committee said this week

Talks are now at a “crossroads,” said Jean-Claude Turcotte, a spokesperson for the Kativik School Board and Quebec’s education department.

Contract talks between the two parties have occurred for almost a year, more recently with the help of a mediator.

The Association of Employees of Northern Quebec has pushed hard for the creation of a policy to deal with students with special needs.

On that issue, Turcotte said something “significant” will be put in place to help these students.

The two sides are finalizing an agreement that would see the creation of a committee made up of school staff, he said.

The role of this committee will be to relay information to the school board about students who are at risk to improve assessments and services for them.

“The challenges are considerable in the North. We really need to work with the people who work on the ground with these youth and know their needs,” Turcotte said.

But the school board maintains its position that the school calendar should be kept as it is now, despite the AENQ’s position that the calendar should be become more more “culturally appropriate,” with no classes scheduled during popular hunting periods.

The union has also argued that the KSB places too high a value on its subsidized housing units in Nunavik, forcing them to pay more taxes on housing benefits than their Cree counterparts.

But the taxable housing benefit is not a contract issue, Turcotte insisted.

“Taxation matters should be dealt with by the proper body, in this case Quebec’s revenue ministry,” he said.

However, building more housing remains a priority.

“There is a shortage of housing [for teaching staff],” Turcotte said. “This is a really important file that concerns us. Unfortunately, the budget for constructing more housing is limited.”

The KSB is working with the union so that housing used by teachers who are on leave can be used for replacement teachers who need lodging, he said.

The negotiating committee reached an agreement-in-principle with KSB support staff last month, and Turcotte hopes that the same can be said for the school board’s teachers in the coming weeks.

But while the two sides may be close to reaching an agreement, Turcotte said this won’t be until early 2011.

“It’s not impossible,” he added. “We’re ready to sit down at the table.”

The AENQ had said last month that its teachers would likely vote on a strike mandate before the holidays.

But the AENQ has now suspended its request for a strike mandate, which teachers were set to vote on before Christmas.

If talks stall, however, the union will seek strike mandates in the new year, AENQ president Patrick D’Astous said in a Dec. 10 press release.