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June 6, 2003

KRG employees say no to final offer

Union standing firm on salary demands, but plays down talk of strike

ODILE NELSON

The president of the regional government’s employee’s union still holds out hope that the organization can amicably negotiate a new collective agreement with its employer — even though its members rejected management’s final offer on May 29.

The Employees Union of the Kativik Regional Government held a special general assembly last Thursday and, according to a press release, more than 83 per cent of attendees “endorsed the negotiating committee’s recommendation to reject the proposal.”

But Neal Clunas, union president, said his members are still willing to negotiate.

“KRG has been very fair over non-monetary issues. We work very well together to answer each other’s concerns. The problem is that over the years our benefits and our salaries have eroded,” Clunas said.

The union has been trying to establish a five-year collective agreement since the last agreement expired December 31, 2000.

The union’s negotiating team were pleased with the final agreement’s non-monetary proposals, but in the end recommended against the agreement because it felt management’s wage offers and cost-of-living differential, or northern allowance, was insufficient.

According to Clunas, under management’s final offer some employee salaries would improve, but more than 50 per cent of employees would have their salaries frozen and their northern allowance would remain at early 1990 levels.

Clunas said the union first approached management about revising the government employee’s salary scale and classifications in 2000.

KRG management than spoke with a consulting firm and committed itself to a new scale in 2002. But management never adopted the changes and now says it will begin the new salary scale and classifications in 2005 — when the improved scale and classifications are three years old.

Clunas said the union has approached management with new demands and hopes they will accept them.

“We would like KRG to offer us a salary close to what consultants recommended, but starting right away,” he said.

Clunas believes a better wage offer will also work in management’s favour by attracting more employees to the organization.

He rejected the idea of a strike.

“It is not something we want. Most employees are from Nunavik, most are beneficiaries of the James Bay agreement, our homes are here and this is our government — we want to see KRG prosper,” Clunas said.

The KRG employees’ union began organizing in 1995, Clunas said. Its members work in a wide range of departments from municipal support services, to economic development to finance and administration.

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