Nunavik teachers’ strike called off after union, board sign agreement in principle

After two and a half years of what a union leader called “bitter negotiations,” the union representing Nunavik teachers and Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the region’s school board have reached an agreement in principle, averting what was to be a 17-day strike starting Tuesday.

The Association of Employees of Northern Quebec announced Saturday in a news release that an agreement in principle has been reached for teachers and support staff in Nunavik’s schools. They had been trying to renew a contract that expired in 2023.

“After 30 months of bitter negotiations, I am delighted that we have finally reached an agreement in principle,” AENQ president Larry Imbeault said in the release, written in French. 

The union representing 450 teachers and support workers in Nunavik had voted 56 per cent in favor of a strike that was scheduled to start Tuesday and to last 17 days. 

The union confirmed that all the job actions it planned over the last few days have been cancelled until further notice. 

The union also would like to see joint discussions be had with the school board to find solutions that could speed up the next round of negotiations. 

The union’s release did not describe any of the terms, such as wage increases, that were part of the agreement. It said it would not say anything more publicly about the agreement until its members were informed about its terms.