QIA approves salary increase, one-time relief payment for staff
Initiatives are aimed at helping to offset high inflation
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association is holding its board meeting at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre in Iqaluit on Wednesday and Thursday. The focus is to establish the association’s operations budget, financial policies and strategic plans for the 2023-24 fiscal year. (Photo by Meral Jamal)
Qikiqtani Inuit Association is increasing the salaries of its employees and providing a one-time relief payment to help with the high cost of living in Nunavut.
The association’s board of directors approved two resolutions in favour of a salary increase and relief payment at a board meeting Wednesday in Iqaluit.
All employees of QIA will see a five per cent increase to their base salaries effective April 3 this year, as well as a four per cent one-time lump sum cost-of-living relief payment.
Qikiqtani Inuit Association secretary-treasurer Jeremy Tunraluk said the salary increase and one-time relief payment will help the association attract and retain staff by keeping wages competitive. (Photo by Meral Jamal)
The association’s secretary-treasurer, Jeremy Tunraluk, said the salary change and relief payment will especially help the 44 employees who live in communities beyond Iqaluit.
“The prices are going up everywhere in the world, and we’re making sure that we’re taking care of all of our employees,” he said.
Canada is experiencing its highest rate of inflation in nearly 40 years, which has grossly eroded the purchasing power of employees’ salaries, QIA’s resolution notes, with the 2022 inflation rate of seven per cent far exceeding the three per cent cost-of-living adjustment that QIA staff received in April of last year.
Increasing salaries and providing relief will help attract and retain staff as well, according to Tunraluk, who said both initiatives will “help QIA stay competitive.”
The focus of the association’s board meeting in Iqaluit is to determine how the funding Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. provides QIA annually will be used for its operations for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
NTI is providing more than $18 million to the association for the next year. The increase in base salaries will come from this amount, while the one-time relief payment — which will cost the association $434,000 — will be paid through a budget surplus QIA saw in 2022.
The board is meeting at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre Wednesday and Thursday to discuss its annual budget, and financial and strategic plans.
Affordable housing initiatives are on the agenda for Thursday.
and here we are struggling with what they don’t.
The struggle is real, why is it so hard for us Inuit.
Where is the money for the Mary River mine affected communities?
If you were at the AGM did you ask that or are you a keyboard warrior like the rest of us?
Mary River $$$ ? It went to the QIA Board and Employees 5% salary increases, this 5% increase is about 400k per year. 5% does not factor in benefits associated with employee fringe benefits. Courtesy of MR Mine.
A 5% increase is a lot better than the 0% increase the GN got from the NEU.
Isn’t it 5+4?
Struggling? Don’t ever see executives
struggling….
Good on you, QIA! All the other NGOs and also the GN need to follow suit. Happy employees make more productive employees. It’s good to see an organization taking care of their employees
Its nice to see QIA feathering its own nest with other people’s money … there I fixed it for you.
Congratulations QIA, you guys have a great team and keeping up with inflation and cost of living going up attracts and retains the good employees.
Keep up the good work.