The Union and the Employer teams met August 5 and 6.
At our first session, on the 5th of August, the Employer team responded to some of our July proposals. While the responses again fell short, the team worked hard to find some fair compromises to progress bargaining further.
Yesterday morning, the 6th of August, the Union team delivered a comprehensive response on most unresolved matters. We were guided by membership priorities and narrowed down our outstanding issues. We also countered with a fair compromise to address what we believe are shortcomings in the current calculation of the northern allowance.
In our last bulletin to you, we expressed our frustration with the Employer’s uncompromising stance at the bargaining table. That sense of frustration is worth repeating – in our last bulletin we noted:
“The team is deeply disappointed by the Employer response to our proposals. Whether the proposal was economic or a language improvement, the counters they provided fell short. The Employer simply has to do much better given they missed the mark these past few weeks. If we are to reach a deal that reflects the value of the work that members do, GNWT has to step up.”
Well, the Employer didn’t step up and in fact, cut our bargaining session short by declaring impasse.
We don’t disagree with their assessment that we are far apart, and while we thought there was still room to bargain a bit further, there was no appetite on the part of the Employer to do so without the assistance of a third-party.
So, what’s next?
Like our last round of negotiations, we move on to the next stage of bargaining which means agreeing to and appointing a mediator to assist the teams. We expect that process and mediator availability to take us later into the fall.
The team will, in the interim, be following up with members as soon as possible and there will be more details to follow so watch your email for additional updates.
Remember, until further notice, all the terms and conditions of your current collective agreement remain in place.
If you are interested in supporting your bargaining team and want to learn more about how to help, please contact a member of the bargaining team, their names are listed below.
In Solidarity,
YOUR BARGAINING TEAM
Marie Buchanan
Cee Birch
Jabin Carrasco
Andrew Gregory
Jeff Groenewegen
Tamara Holliday
Cassandra Gagnier (HRHSSA)
Barbara McKay (HRHSSA)
Gayla Thunstrom, UNW President
Erna Post, PSAC Negotiator
Ted Klassen, PSAC Research Officer
Chris Parsons, UNW Director of Membership Services
Caitlin Lacey, Political Assistant to the UNW President