Iqaluit Housing Authority staff prepare to go on strike

Employees leaving to find better paying jobs, says union

By Trevor Wright Northern News Services Iqaluit

Staff of the Iqaluit Housing Authority, who are part of the Nunavut Employees Union (NEU), announced intentions to go on strike last week.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the NEU served notice of impending strike action on March 13, with plans to walk off the job days later.

Proposed wage increases of 1.25 to 1.5 per cent are not enough to keep up with increasing costs in an inflationary environment, according to the union.

“The cost of living in Iqaluit has dramatically increased over time, more so in the last year. We are looking for a fair increase in salaries to be able to afford the increasing cost of living,” said Nicky Nauyuk, Iqaluit Housing Authority plumber and PSAC/NEU bargaining member.

A January strike vote was “overwhelmingly re-validated” by unionized housing authority staff who are seeking better compensation, according to a news release by the NEU.

“No one wants to be outside picketing, especially if it gets brutally cold again here in Iqaluit,” said NEU president Jason Rochon. “However, when you are dealing with an employer who has shown no signs of any honest commitment to reaching a fair agreement on wages, you are left with no options and that is why we are where we are at this point.”

Rochon added the Iqaluit Housing Authority (IHA) has “serious recruitment and retention issues” as employees are leaving to find other, better jobs in Iqaluit.

“We asked Iqaluit to support our members and to understand that this fight is not only for the employees of IHA, but a fight to ensure the long-term ability to provide housing services and support all those who call Iqaluit home,” stated Rochon earlier in the week.

The Nunavut Housing Corporation initially declined to comment, but released a statement later in the week indicating that the IHA is independent from NHC’s public housing program and that services at NHC public housing will continue.

On March 16, the union announced that the IHA served a lockout notice to PSAC – also being given a 72-hour notice. The aforementioned strike action involving unionized employees was expected to start on Friday March 17, the NEU said in a statement to Nunavut News, prior to IHA’s lockout deadline.

Non-unionized employees such as managers and office staff will not be impacted by the lockout or strike.

In an open letter to Nunavut Housing Minister Lorne Kusugak, the union asked him to step in to help resolve the impasse.

The letter, from Rochon and Lorraine Rousseau, executive vice-pres- ident of the PSAC’s North region, stated, “This was done after exhausting all attempts to reach a fair agreement on behalf of the unionized workers of the IHA and was not done lightly.

ᐅᖃᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐸᕐᓇᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᑭᑦᑐᕆᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓵᓄᑦ ᓈᒻᒪᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᐊᖑᒻᒪᑎᓂᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᑭᑦᑐᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ.

“This is not just an Iqaluit issue,” the letter later reads. “Local housing organizations (LHOs) throughout Nunavut are in the same dire position.”

The union added an updated NHC mandate, fair economic compensation and better working conditions “is the only way that LHOs will be able to provide Nunavut with the much needed access to a range of affordable housing options.”

ᐱᔭᐅᔪᒪᕐᔪᐊᓗᐊᒧᑦ,

ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒥ

ᒪᒃᑯᖕᓂᖅᓴᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ

ᓗᐊᐃᒃ ᓛᓕᐅᕐ, ᐅᓇᑕᖅᑐᒃᓴᙳᐊᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ

ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᒥ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᐅᔪᒥ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᓇᑕᖅᑐᒃᓴᙳᐊᓂ ᑲᑎᙵᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᔭᓗᓇᐃᕝᒥ, ᓇᒃᓴᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᒪᒃᑯᖕᓂᖅᓴᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᓇᑕᖅᑐᒃᓴᙳᐊᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᒥ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒧᑦ ᕕᕗᐊᕆᒥ, ᐃᓱᒪᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ 30−ᒐᓚᖕᓂ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ.

“ᐃᓱᐊᓂ 95−ᒐᓚᖕᓂ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᑦᑐᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᓐᓄᕌᒃᓴᓂ

ᓄᖑᕈᑎᓚᐅᖅᐳᒍᑦ

ᑐᓂᓯᓂᕐᒥ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ, ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ

ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᑲᐅᙱᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᕗᖅ.

“ᐱᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᐊᓘᓪᓗᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᓂᐅᕗᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᒋᐊᑦᑎᐊᕐᔪᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ, ᐅᓄᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᓂ ᓂᕆᐅᒋᓚᐅᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᓱᓕᓪᓗᖓ.”

ᓛᓕᐅᕐ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐸᕐᓇᐅᑎᒃᓴᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐊᑯᓂᐸᓗᖕᒥ ᓇᒃᓴᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᖕᓂᖅᓴᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᓇᑕᖅᑐᒃᓴᙳᐊᓂ (JCR) ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᒧᒥ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒧᑦ, ᐅᓇᑕᖅᑐᒃᓴᙳᐊᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐸᐃᑉᐹᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᒫᓐᓇᓕᓴᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᔭᕇᖅᑕᐅᑕᐃᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ

ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑲᑎᙵᓂᕆᔭᖓᑦ ᐳᓚᕋᕈᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓄᑦ