Nearly 70% of the unionized Government of the Northwest Territories workers voted in favour of strike action during recent votes.
The Union of Northern Workers says the high majority vote shows support for the bargaining team. The UNW says they are “committed to fighting for better wage and northern allowance increases, job security, full-time indeterminate work for our members and Mental Health strategies to help all employees.”
President of the UNW, Todd Parsons, said in a statement he’s happy to hear that workers want action.
“I am very pleased with the outcome of this vote, our members have articulated that they are not interested in the current offer. We are using this strike mandate as support for us to reach out to the employer in hopes of returning to the bargaining table in order to reach a deal that is fair for all employees.”
Parsons added that a strike vote does not mean a workers’ stoppage.
“We are in fact trying to avoid a strike as we have yet to exhaust all the provisions under the Public Service Act.”
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After nearly two years of bargaining, talks between the UNW and the GNWT broke down in January. UNW says their bargaining team gave an offer that met their needs; however, the offer was denied.
