Nunavut Employees Union Government of Nunavut Bargaining Update #6 November 2019 (2)

On November 18, 2019 the Nunavut Employees Union (NEU) filed a Statement of Claim (see below for PDF) in the Nunavut Court of Justice asserting that the Government of Nunavut (GN) has engaged in bad faith bargaining.

The Statement of Claim legally outlines the reasons why the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC-North)/NEU Bargaining Team feels that the GN has not lived up to its legal and moral obligation “to bargain in good faith with a view to the conclusion of a collective agreement.”

As communicated in the previous November 2019 Bargaining Update, in late October 2019, the GN clawed back almost half of their previous offer (June 2019) on the Nunavut Northern Allowance while maintaining an offer on wages that is well below inflation. The PSAC-North/NEU Bargaining Team had no choice but to file a complaint as it was clear that the GN did not approach the October 2019 mediation session in a ‘good faith’ manner.

The Statement of Claim provides the GN with 25 days from November 18, 2019 to either respond with a “Statement of Defence” or an “Appearance”.

We will communicate what the next steps in this legal process are as soon as they become clearer.

As always, your PSAC-North/NEU Team is committed to pushing for a fair agreement for all NEU Members. We appreciate your continued support and solidarity!

Your PSAC-North/NEU Bargaining Team

Noel Collins, Simon Doiron, Linda Hunter, Ruth Kaluraq, Abe Qammaniq, Rick Roberts, Bill Fennell (NEU President), Darren Pacione (PSAC Researcher), and John Eustace (PSAC Negotiator)