Iqaluit Housing Authority, union reach tentative agreement
Union members expected to vote Tuesday on deal that could end four-month-old strike
After 134 days of striking, the Iqaluit Housing Authority has reached a tentative deal with its 13 union employees. (File photo by Meral Jamal)
After a 134-day strike, the Iqaluit Housing Authority and its 13 unionized employees have reached a tentative agreement.
The agreement was reached early Monday evening, according to a news release from the Nunavut Employees Union, which represents the workers.
“Details of the tentative agreement are not available at the moment and NEU president Jason Rochon will not be available for public or media comments until the ratification vote has taken place,” the NEU said.
Wages had been the main issue in the labour dispute, with the union calling for increases that reflected the rising cost of living in Iqaluit and took into consideration the period of high inflation Canada experienced a year ago.
A ratification vote, where union members will vote on the agreement, is scheduled to take place Tuesday.
When contacted by phone Monday evening, NEU spokesperson James Kaylor said he doesn’t know the details yet, but to expect them after the vote.
He also noted that Rochon had gone home after a long day of negotiating.
The unionized employees of the Iqaluit Housing Authority have been on strike since March 17. It began after talks aimed at negotiating a new contract broke down. The previous contract between the housing authority and its unionized workers expired in June 2020.
The tentative agreement was announced three days after Lorne Kusugak, the minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corp., announced that the entire Iqaluit Housing Authority board had been replaced with new members.
The purpose of the shakeup, Kusugak said, was to help put an end to the labour dispute.
No matter what I doubt the deal was worth 134 days of no pay. Count your blessings IHA.
Way to go! Nice to see the union working so hard for the last year.
For real?! This is one of the lengthiest strikes in Canadian history! This wouldn’t have been allowed to go on anywhere else in the country! Where was the solidarity with other union sisters and brothers who I would have expected to take job action to support these workers. This was just another demonstration of the joke that northern unions are and how they serve to protect themselves and those that don’t deserve protection while good people struggle to feed their families. Bravo UNW, bravo.
Congrats! Too bad Kusugak didn’t step in months ago.
Step in? his sole goal? Break the unions…
In my 16 years I can finally say the last 2 years I’m proud to be a union member
How come?
It’s about goddamn time!
Great back to unanswered phone calls and unanswered work orders
Here’s to hoping they get 100 paid sick days, 1 hour coffee breaks and 4 hours of driving around aimlessly per day included in their new agreement