Nunavik’s schools have averted a strike. Now what?

Now that Nunavik’s teachers and support staff have reached an agreement-in-principle and averted this week’s planned 17-day strike, more work is set to begin.

Around 450 of the region’s teachers and education support staff, represented by the Association of Employees of Northern Quebec, and Kativik Ilisarniliriniq school board reached the agreement late on May 9.

The development came days before workers were set to walk off the job starting Tuesday, until May 30.

It took the two sides 30 months to reach this point. The previous contract expired in May 2023.

It’s a relief for union president Larry Imbeault.

“It is as if all that pressure has gone away,” he said in a French phone interview.

“To know that the members won’t have to strike, it came as a relief for our members, but also for the students and the community.”

Even though negotiations are over, there is still months of work to be done before a final agreement is implemented, he said.

The union still needs to present the agreement-in-principle to its members, and they will vote whether or not to accept it. This will happen in a video-conference meeting in the next couple of weeks, Imbeault said.

He declined to reveal the contents of the agreement before it is presented to his members.

One sticking point in negotiations was whether it would be considered a breach of contract if an employee failed to produce a background check within 10 days after one was requested. The workers also wanted to see improved staff bonuses and housing conditions.

Imbeault said this provision was too strict, especially for employees who did not check their email every day. Kativik Ilisarniliriniq director-general Harriet Keleutak disagreed in an interview May 8, suggesting breach of contract in these cases might not automatically lead to dismissal.

Once the union’s membership accepts the agreement-in-principle, the school board will be tasked to write up the new collective agreement.

When written, another round of verifications will be done by the union. Only then will the employer start implementing the agreement, adjust the salaries, and retroactively pay the employees.

Imbeault said this process may take another five to six months to complete.

“After everything, we need to talk to [Kativik Ilisarniliriniq] to see how we can do things differently,” he said, “because it makes no sense that it dragged on for this long.”

The union intends on having joint discussions with the school board to find solutions that could speed up the next round of negotiations when they happen.