Striking Iqaluit Housing Authority workers now locked out by employer

Unionized employees at the Iqaluit Housing Authority who went on strike Friday have officially been locked out of their workplace.

The workers, represented by the Nunavut Employees Union, were served notice by the housing authority March 15 that they would be locked out as of Sunday.

That followed a 72-hour strike notice issued March 13 by the union, which meant it could legally take strike action as of Friday.

A lockout, according to Canada’s Labour Relations Board, occurs when an employer closes a place of employment or suspends the work to be done by bargaining unit employees.

Housing authority assistant manager Kendra King said Monday that of the 15 unionized employees who work there, 14 have been locked out. The union told Nunatsiaq News 23 members are employed at the Iqaluit Housing Authority.

The authority and the union have agreed to designate the oil burner mechanic as an essential worker, meaning he will continue to work during the labour dispute, King said.

She said the housing authority operates more than 540 public housing units in Iqaluit.

In an emailed statement, she said a plan to “ensure the upkeep of maintenance on public housing units” during the labour dispute has been implemented.

However, she did not confirm what specific steps have been taken to accomplish that.

King said the housing authority “remains willing and prepared to negotiate a fair settlement as soon as possible,” but it determined that a lockout is “a necessary step to ensure that services are maintained on a consistent basis during this labour dispute.”

James Kaylor, a communications specialist with the NEU, said union members continue to strike outside their workplace.

“They are out again braving the cold in the name of solidarity,” he said via email.

Unionized workers at the housing authority in Iqaluit have worked without a new collective agreement since June 2020, when the previous contract expired.

The previous collective agreement, in place from 2017 to 2020, covered six administrative staff and 10 maintenance positions.

The highest-paid maintenance positions in the previous agreement included the oil burner mechanic as well as the plumber and electrician, both of whom were paid between $39 and $46 dollars per hour.

The highest-paid administrative positions covered by the previous agreement included the finance and administration officers, who were paid between $32 and $42 per hour.

Previously, NEU president Jason Rochon has said the striking workers want fair increases to wages above the 1.25 per cent and 1.5 per cent he said were proposed by the housing authority.

However, he has declined to say how much union is looking for.

Talks aimed at reaching a new collective agreement broke down last August over differences between the wages offered by the authority as well as concessions to existing sick leave, vacation, and time off for union business provisions.