New contract gives unionized workers 7.5% retro pay, then 3% raises over next 2 years

The Nunavut Employees Union is celebrating what  its calls the “highest economic increases for a housing authority in this territory” after ratifying a new contract for Iqaluit Housing Authority workers Monday.

Both the union and housing authority management said they are happy to be moving forward with a new deal, which was achieved without a repeat of 2023, when the lack of agreement led to 19-week-long strike.

Under the new agreement, the employees — whose jobs include tenant relations and finance officers, carpenters, painters, housing maintainers and electricians — will receive three salary increases over the course of three years.

First is a 7.5 per cent increase retroactive to July 1, 2025. That is followed by an increase of three per cent starting July 1, 2026, and another three per cent raise on July 1, 2027.

The deal expires June 30, 2028.

The new deal replaces the previous collective agreement for the housing authority’s 20 employees that expired June 30, 2025.

“Our union is very happy for this new deal,” said president Jason Rochon in an email.

“We believe it shows the employer came to the table negotiating in good faith and we hope it recognizes the work our members do in caring for housing across Nunavut’s only city, which is growing each year.”

Tasha Sandbach, general manager of the housing authority and part of its negotiating team, also had a similar positive tone calling the result a “good outcome.”

“It’s been a long process, so it’s nice to come to an agreement without any strike or anything like that,” Sandbach said in an interview Wednesday.

“We’ve made significant gains in this round of bargaining, including good economic increases for [housing authority] workers compared to housing workers elsewhere in this territory,” Rochon said.

He also pointed to improvements in family abuse, bereavement and parental leave; an increased vacation travel allowance; and an improved work clothing allowance.

As well, the employees now have the “largest language bonus for housing workers in this territory,” Rochon said, at $2,000 per year for employees who speak Inuktitut.

While negotiations took months to complete, the done deal came without a labour disruption.

In 2023, housing workers went on strike for 19 weeks before a deal finally came together.

This time, negotiations went much better both Rochon and Sandbach said.

“I think that being able to meet in person with both sides of the bargaining team, it was probably one of the most helpful things in the situation,” Sandbach said.

Both are happy to be moving forward with a done deal.

“It’s going to be good to get back to business as usual,” Sandbach said.