In 1967 many federal government employees working in the Northwest Territories, who were also members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), were being transferred to the Government of the Northwest Territories. This left them without union representation, which was of great concern to many of them. Many wanted to continue to be represented by PSAC.

In mid-1968, a group of GNWT employees got together and signed up more than 50 percent of their co-workers. These workers became the Northwest Territories’ Government Employees Association.

In order to gain collective bargaining rights for the group, labour legislation had to be written. This was done by November 1969, following which the Northwest Territories’ Public Service Association (NWTPSA) was officially established as the bargaining agent (union) for most workers with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

In May 1970, the Northwest Territories’ Public Service Association (NWTPSA) became a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

On May 15 that year, a founding convention was held in Yellowknife, following which bargaining began on May 20.

By the 1980s, the Northwest Territories’ Public Service Association (NWTPSA) began organizing members from hamlets and housing associations across the territory.

By the late 1980s the union added its first private sector members.

At their 1987 component convention, the Northwest Territories’ Public Service Association (NWTPSA) changed its component name to the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) to better reflect the wider, more diverse workers and their workplaces.

In September 1997, a referendum vote was held by UNW members who lived and worked in what would soon become the Territory of Nunavut. A positive vote gave the UNW Executive a mandate to form an Advisory Committee that was tasked with the establishment of a separate component that would represent the Government of Nunavut (GN) employees, the Nunavut employees of Northwest Territories Power Corporation (now known as QEC) and the unionized employees of Nunavut hamlet and housing associations.

On May 5-6 1998, the Nunavut Advisory Committee met at the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) headquarters in Ottawa to draft the By-Laws for the Nunavut Employees Union.

On May 12 that year, the PSAC Executive Committee approved the establishment of NEU and directed UNW to transfer all UNW members who lived and worked in Nunavut to the NEU.

In September, an Executive Assistant and a Service Officer became the first employees of the NEU. At the end of October, the NEU opened its Executive Office in Iqaluit.

The NEU held its founding convention over three days in October 1998. In addition to adopting the new By-Laws and regulations, delegates elected Doug Workman as the union’s first president, Marion Love as first Vice-President and Wilma Pigalak as the Second Vice-President.

Together, they established an operating budget and a dues schedule for the years 1998-2002.

As well, delegates approved the official name of the Nunavut Employees Union and its logo, which was in use till the end of 2025.

Since it was founded in 1999, the NEU has held seven conventions: in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2020 and 2023.

The Membership has grown exponentially — one in three working age Nunavummiut are members of our union. We continue to be an important and present force in this territory.