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Hamilton Spectator
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Nunavik's schools have averted a strike. Now what?
Now that Nunavik's teachers and support staff have reached an agreement-in-principle and averted this week's planned 17-day strike, more work is set to begin. Around 450 of the region's teachers and education support staff, represented by the Association of Employees of Northern Quebec, and Kativik Ilisarniliriniq school board reached the agreement late on May 9. The development came days before workers were set to walk off the job starting Tuesday, until May 30. It took the two sides 30 months to reach this point. The previous contract expired in May 2023. It's a relief for union president Larry Imbeault. 'It is as if all that pressure has gone away,' he said in a French phone interview. 'To know that the members won't have to strike, it came as a relief for our members, but also for the students and the community.' Even though negotiations are over, there is still months of work to be done before a final agreement is implemented, he said. The union still needs to present the agreement-in-principle to its members, and they will vote whether or not to accept it. This will happen in a video-conference meeting in the next couple of weeks, Imbeault said. He declined to reveal the contents of the agreement before it is presented to his members. One sticking point in negotiations was whether it would be considered a breach of contract if an employee failed to produce a background check within 10 days after one was requested. The workers also wanted to see improved staff bonuses and housing conditions. Imbeault said this provision was too strict, especially for employees who did not check their email every day. Kativik Ilisarniliriniq director-general Harriet Keleutak disagreed in an interview May 8, suggesting breach of contract in these cases might not automatically lead to dismissal. Once the union's membership accepts the agreement-in-principle, the school board will be tasked to write up the new collective agreement. When written, another round of verifications will be done by the union. Only then will the employer start implementing the agreement, adjust the salaries, and retroactively pay the employees. Imbeault said this process may take another five to six months to complete. 'After everything, we need to talk to [Kativik Ilisarniliriniq] to see how we can do things differently,' he said, 'because it makes no sense that it dragged on for this long.' The union intends on having joint discussions with the school board to find solutions that could speed up the next round of negotiations when they happen.
Hamilton Spectator
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Nunavik teachers set for 17-day strike this month
Nunavik teachers and education professionals are planning a 17-day strike in May as negotiations toward a new collective agreement continue into their 30th month. The strike is set for May 13 to May 30. 'I think it just goes to show how fed up our members are,' said Larry Imbeault, president of the Association of Employees of Northern Quebec, in a French phone interview. 'Things are not moving, so we need to make things move.' Association members gave the union the mandate to strike this week, in a motion passed by the executive committee. The union has been working toward a new agreement with Kativik Ilisinariliniq, the regional school board, and the Quebec government since October 31, 2022. The old collective agreement expired in May 2023 and affects about 450 teachers and support workers. The union has expressed interest in an unlimited generalized strike, but also does not want to jeopardize the staff's ability to go down south for the summer. To strike this late into the school year was intentional — while the union says education is its priority, it also wants a new agreement in place before the next school year so current staff can be retained and new staff can be recruited. 'We believe that at this time is where the most pressure will be put on the school board,' Imbeault said. He added he hopes the union and school board won't remain in negotiations by the beginning of the next school year, because at that point 'we won't have a choice to use an unlimited general strike.' 'If the school board doesn't budge, we maintain our position,' he said. This is the second strike for the union this year; the first one lasted four days in January. Kativik Ilisinariliniq spokesperson Jade Bernier declined to comment on the situation for now. The union and school board are set to meet May 9 before Quebec's Administrative Labor Tribunal in Montreal regarding a complaint the union filed in March, alleging bad faith negotiations on the board's part.
