Unionized GN workers ratify 4-year contract

Pay increases, language bonuses and rest periods are some of the wins the Nunavut Employees Union is celebrating after ratifying a new collective agreement with the Government of Nunavut.

The union announced Thursday on Facebook members had voted to approve the contract.

The four-year contract, which impacts approximately 4,000 territorial public servants, expires Sept. 30, 2028. It replaces a collective agreement that expired at the end of September in 2024.

“We’re hearing from members and they’re so happy,” said Jason Rochon, the union’s president, in an interview.

In addition to the nine per cent pay increase announced last year that took effect in September 2024, there are raises scheduled for the remaining three years of the deal: three per cent for 2025 — which is retroactive to Oct. 1 this year — plus three per cent for 2026, and 2.5 per cent for 2027.

Northern allowances — which vary by job and location — are set to increase by two per cent next year and three per cent in 2027.

Inuktut language bonuses are also increasing across all three levels of fluency. Employees seeking an assessment of their Inuktut fluency must be tested within six months.

“If they can’t test you in six months, they’re automatically going to start getting their language bonus because Inuktitut in the workplace should be compensated and the employers should have been doing a better job [of testing employees],” Rochon said.

The contract also addresses issues around casual employees. Casuals, who are hired for short-term roles, could transition into longer-term employment if they are extended beyond four months.

As well, it includes the addition of a mandatory rest period of at least eight hours between shifts — something Rochon said addresses burnout.

“People need to have rest and need to be fresh and need to be safe in the workplace,” Rochon said.

The ratification process had some controversy.

Alex McConnachie, who was the union’s regional vice-president for Iqaluit, was ousted from that role after he spoke out over concerns he had with the tentative agreement. In November, he said the wage and northern allowance increases fall “short” of the rate of inflation.

“I don’t want to discuss his behavior and his tone and rhetoric,” Rochon said in response to a question about McConnachie.

Rochon said the union will soon take applications for a new regional vice-president.

McConnachie, however, said on Friday in an email to Nunatsiaq News he and other union members want answers about what he called “timelines and processes for back pay and other retroactive financial adjustments.”

“Transparent and proactive communication at this stage is essential to maintaining trust and ensuring members feel confident that the outcomes of the vote are being implemented as negotiated,” McConnachie said.

Information about the new agreement is available through the ratification package the union sent to its members.

The Government of Nunavut’s Department of Human Resources, which announced the tentative agreement when it was reached in September, did not provide a comment on the ratified deal.