NEU and GN entered the third day of negotiations. NEU presented their proposals.
The GN negotiating committee has presented the Union with an offer which your negotiating team is rejecting.
The employer has rejected almost every proposal the Union has presented and has offered some minor movement on a northern allowance and economic increases as follows:
The GN came back with a Northern Allowance and Appendix B Proposal that included the following:
Northern Allowance
| Variable | Quantity | Calculation |
| Airfare | 4 round trips | Return tickets, greater of 60% of full fare or serve day purchases from Nunavut community to designated southern city |
| Food | 52 weeks | Difference between weekly cost of Northern Food Basket for family of four in designated southern city and Nunavut Community |
Salary increase offer is the following:
0% increase pay line effective April 1st, 2011
1% increase pay line effective April 1st, 2012
1% increase pay line effective April 1st, 2013
1% increase pay line effective April 1st, 2014
GN Negotiation Committee has rejected our proposals on annual leave improvements that their managers gave themselves following the last round of negotiations.
The GN has unilaterally substituted a new Health care Plan without consulting with the Union.
They have rejected any improvements to the Medical or Dental plans.
We have proposed renewing incentives to retain Health care worker which have also been rejected.
During negotiations for the last collective agreement the Parties, in good faith we thought, agreed to back end load the collective agreement on rates of pay and put a process in place to FINALLY resolve the ongoing re-negotiation for the Northern Allowance (MoU #9).
This time they want to use the last economic increase to compensate employees for the first six months of this agreement and they have rejected all of the specific recommendations made by their consultants to develop a Northern Allowance formula.
We believe that we are worth more than the managers are offering and we will be applying for mediation to get the help we need to get this dispute resolved.
On April 8th, our Union negotiating team walked away from the negotiating table to seek a strike mandate vote from the NEU membership of the Government of Nunavut bargaining unit and to file for mediation.