Doug Workman retires: Nunavut Employees Union elects new president

Bill Fennell is pictured here at a September 2013 Labour Day barbecue held at Sylvia Grinnell Park in Iqaluit while he was still vice-president of the Nunavut Employees Union. (FILE PHOTO)

The Nunavut Employees Union has a new president: Iqaluit social worker Bill Fennell.

With 51 per cent of vote, Fennell beat out two other candidates at the NEU’s convention in Iqaluit Oct. 9 to serve as the union’s second president.

Fennell replaces long-time NEU president Doug Workman, who just retired after 16 years with the organization.

Workman has been president of the NEU since its start in 1998, when the union split off from the Union of Northern Workers.

Fennell, who worked for many years as an adoption specialist with the Government of Nunavut’s family services department, has served as NEU’s vice president since 2012.

As president, Fennell said his focus will be helping the union grow a bigger presence in Nunavut’s communities.

“The strongest message we heard during the convention is that members want the union to be visible in the communities — not just a deduction from their pay cheque,” Fennell said.

While some Nunavut communities have local representation, many local representatives are based in Iqaluit, where the union’s membership is concentrated.

Fennell said the union will work to offer training to potential community representatives to help bring the organization “back to its grassroots.”

Otherwise, the union’s main focus will be on collective bargaining for employees of both the Government of Nunavut and its Qulliq Energy Corp.

“We’ve got to get our members mobilized to work towards getting a fair agreement,” Fennell said.

Fennell said the union is also taking aim at a government bill that’s meant to receive third reading at the legislative assembly’s upcoming session.

Fennell said that Bill 1, the Northern Employees Benefits Services Pension Plan Act, threatens to take away a guaranteed pension for public sector employees.

“They’re trying to change the employee pension from a defined benefits package to a targeted one,” Fennell said. “The biggest thing it will do is… take away the responsibility of the employer, or in this case, the Northern Employee Benefits Services program, to ensure people’s pensions are protected.”

“If there’s a downturn in the market, they’ll get nothing,” he added. “Everyone has a right after working for 30 years to retire with dignity. We’re going to fight it.”