New contract gives Nunavut teachers 15% raise over 3 years
Deal includes continuous service bonus, unspecified bump to Inuktut proficiency allowances
Inuksuk High School is seen in Iqaluit. The Nunavut Teachers’ Union and Government of Nunavut ratified a new collective agreement this week that gives teachers a 15 per cent pay increase over the next three years. (File photo)
Nunavut teachers will get a 15 per cent increase to their salaries over the next three years after ratifying a new collective agreement this week.
The territorial Department of Human Resources and Nunavut Teachers’ Association, the union that represents about 900 members, announced the deal Thursday in a news release.
The biggest pay increase — nine per cent — takes effect July 1, followed by annual increases of three per cent in 2026 and 2027.
Teacher salaries range between $69,659 a year and $131,151 a year, according to the current collective agreement.
Educators in the territory earn location allowances as well, which vary by community.
Teachers who are proficient in Inuktut currently earn allowances that range from $1,500 per year to $5,000 per year, depending on the level of proficiency. These bonuses will see a “significant” jump too, the release says, without going into specifics.
The new contract includes a new bonus for continuous service “in line with the rest of Government of Nunavut employees.”
This, according to the current Nunavut Employees Union collective agreement with the Government of Nunavut, ranges from $1,000 a year for three years of service to $5,000 annually for 21 or more years of service.
Representatives from the Nunavut Teachers’ Union and Government of Nunavut expressed satisfaction in the release in the new collective agreement, calling it an “important step forward” and a “recognition” of both sides’ “mutual respect” for educators in the territory.
The current collective agreement expires June 30, and the new agreement expires June 30, 2028.
Looks like you all got your teachers fed ? How bout the kiddllets ?
More money is a good start, but how to keep those southern teachers more than a school year? Who wants to teach here? Who wants to commit? Who wants to learn the language, the culture? The best way to improve : Hire local teachers!
Great idea, except there aren’t enough “locals” with teaching degrees so they have no choice to hire from outside the territory. As a long term vision, we can hope, but this wouls spell disaster if this was done today. Less than 1% of nunavut inuit have university degrees, and those aren’t all teaching degrees, so the numbers just aren’t there. Same reason government offices can’t only hire local, the required skill set just isn’t there.
A few ideas – stop calling southern teachers ‘settlers’, ‘colonialists’, or ‘newcomers’ – they are none of these. Stop the racist comments. Teach the children that violence is unacceptable. Get the kids to school on time. Encourage the kids to get a high school diploma and then apply for university.
Some Nunavut schools can be very difficult. There is a huge nationwide teacher shortage, and we are competing against every other school in the English-speaking parts of the country and Nunavut has a reputation. We don’t have the ability to staff the schools locally in specialist topics, and won’t for many years. We will continue to require teachers from outside the territory for the foreseeable future.
Try teaching in Naujaat….even for two months…
During the negotiation, the negotiator for the Government of Nunavut should have insisted that all student support assistants and student support teachers possess a secondary diploma. Many of those hired on a casual basis, including those who are already permanent staff, would likely not pass a reading and math assessment. These are the same individuals we expect to assist our children’s teachers. Right, KSO?
Maybe with Teachers getting paid more they will show less movies.
Also we need to make it acceptable to fail kids. If my kid cant read or do basic addition and subtraction. they should not be going into grade 3… or 2 even.
The Education across this territory has become very flawed at all levels from K to 12 where grade Mark’s are ink in high marks just to credit students with FAKE Marks regardless of their Education or NOT. The Students today are taught free-time, full-time scale cultural programs, or excuse to credit students with FAKE marks! Teachers hired without any QUALIFICATION’s! Teachers using sick leave just to take breaks and collect income.
The Employments on Teacher Education posted short period of time just to avoid recruitments of ‘Certified Academic Teachers’. This is known as Socio-Pass with Teachers just to cover their work environment in school! The KSO (Kivalliq School Operations) in famous for this ideology to oppress students in classes, which continue to be opted with current Executive Directors backing FLAKY Teacher’s!
its rather sad. i think that teachers have an almost impossible job. they are in a lot of ways forced by the system to move students along through the system. the alternative is just to create a permanent grade 6 for most students. I wonder what would happen if an independent agency came in and evaluated inuit children after grades were given out? say in Igloolik? or grise fiord? would the same grades be given?
I am the one made the rule for you to understand how white black all nations works need to learn are way of life pared to change there overseas all culture life they need to learn to not just us.