Iqaluit housing workers hope to avoid another strike as negotiations begin
Union wants pay increase, ‘no concessions’ from employer in new contract
Iqaluit housing workers and Nunavut Employees Union representatives rally outside the Iqaluit Housing Authority and Nunavut Housing Corp. office Dec. 5. Housing workers and the NEU are hoping to avoid a strike like the one in 2023, as they begin negotiations for a new contract. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Iqaluit housing workers are hoping for a new pay bump and to avoid another lengthy strike as they negotiate a new collective agreement.
“We’re just trying to get a better deal for our team, just to keep up with the economy, the inflation,” said Nicotimeosie Nauyuk, one of the members of the Iqaluit Housing Authority union’s bargaining team.
The 15-member union returned to negotiations this fall after its five-year collective agreement with the authority expired on June 30.
Negotiations began Oct. 20 to 24, and resumed Nov. 17 to 19 and Dec. 2 to 3, according to the Nunavut Employees Union’s first bargaining update.
“Some” progress has been made, the union said in the update, on benefits such as language bonuses, family abuse leave, and professional development.
However, the union listed three areas where there continue to be differences.
One area is allowances: the union is seeking an increase to settlement, housing, utilities and other allowances, which it says have not been increased in years and not all members are entitled to.
The union is also seeking “parity in economic increases” comparable to the Government of Nunavut’s latest contract settlement. Last week, GN workers approved a four-year deal that includes a nine per cent pay bump for 2024, a retroactive three per cent increase for 2025, and scheduled increases of three and 2.5 per cent for 2026 and 2027, respectively.
The bargaining team is also targeting what it describes as “significant concessions” that impact employees’ access to vacation and sick leave, among others.
“We want to make sure that they drop all the concessions, and we want to see some good, fair wages,” said Jason Rochon, president of Nunavut Employees Union.
Nauyuk and Rochon were among seven union representatives gathered outside the Iqaluit Housing Authority and Nunavut Housing Corp.’s offices on Sivumugiaq Street Friday afternoon.
Both said they hope to avoid a repeat of 2023, when negotiations faltered and the union went on strike for 137 days before a deal was reached and ratified.
“We want to make sure that we’re keeping the pressure on the employer,” Rochon said.
A representative for Iqaluit Housing Authority’s negotiation team was not available for comment on this story.
Nunavut Housing Corp. did not respond to a media inquiry.
The only people that deserve a pay increase are the ones with their trades tickets. Those so-called maintainers that can barely unclog a toilet are already overpaid and underworked. Driving around all day and smokin up while on the job. Should be mandatory drug testing for anyone that drives a work vehicle.
I totally agree on that one.
March 2025 – “Information released today by Statistics Canada indicates annual prices increased by 2.3% for Canada, 2.9% for Edmonton, 3.5% for Whitehorse, and 0.8% for Iqaluit”.
If NEU had any competence or integrity it’d have the same collective agreement in place for all unionized Housing Association employees across the Territory and have all agreements renewing at the same time.