The Union of Northern Workers (UNW) held a demonstration today to remind the territorial government that its members could strike in the new year, staging a "cold-weather test" of job action outside the Jackfish Lake power plant during the lunch hour Friday.
The picket practice is to show support for the union as it seeks a deal for its NTPC members, said picketer Norm McBride, an employee of NTPC.
"I think it's unfair for all the workers who have gone four years, plus ... we're going into year five here on January 1st, without a contract. All our standard of living is dropping by the year, basically. We want a fair and equitable deal like everybody else in Canada would get," said McBride.
The union and GNWT have been negotiating a new collective agreement since January 2016, according the UNW's website.
Dozens of orange-clad workers, many of them employed through the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, marched in minus 30 weather, hoisting flags and signs that read "Cold Picket Testing" and "Picketer in Training."
A sign tacked to the entrance way of the Jackfish Lake Generating Station reads, "If provoked, we will strike."
The union has no plans to return to the bargaining table, UNW president Todd Parsons told union members Friday.
"I hope that this show of support and solidarity will move the employer into making us a fair and reasonable offer that will address the concerns that you have on the table. This is more than about fair wages, keeping up with the cost of living. We're fighting for job security that will see your job protected for today, tomorrow and into the future for future generations," he said, surrounded by practice picketers.
The union will tackle the use of contract labour to defend its workers job security, he said.
A "bad deal" would see a cycle of lower wages while cost of living continually rises, said Parsons.
"We're out here fighting for a fair collective agreement that would see improvements to job security and some accountability around the use of subcontractors taking away work from our members fighting for a fair living. A good deal is a good deal for everybody, including the community of the Northwest Territories," said Parsons.
The GNWT argues that it cannot afford raises for public sector employees. The union says it won't stand down until it reaches a fair deal for its employees, including those employed through the power corporation.
Strike action would affect nearly 4,000 GNWT workers, some of whom fulfill "essential" positions that cannot be paused during a strike. During job action, workers will receive strike pay.
Administered by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), full time workers receive $117 per day for a minimum of four hours of strike action in a five day a week strike. Part time workers receive differential amounts, outlined in PSAC's constitution. Strike pay is tax-free but workers must participate in job action to get it.
A shrinking cash flow for public service employees would have a reverberating effect on businesses that rely on workers spending.
While the union ruled out striking until the new year, there are no additional plans to go back to the bargaining table with the employer, Parsons told workers present at today's picket practice.
The union is pushing for a three per cent yearly wage increase for the period of 2016 to 2018, Northern allowance improvements, reduced casual and precarious employment, full-time indeterminate work and mental health supports for public service employees.
"Well certainly, any labour dispute would impact the economy of the Northwest Territories. If public service doesn't have money readily available to spend, it would have an impact on the economy," said Parsons.
Early this week, the union shared a communique with its members that called into the question the economic state of the NWT. It features a video of Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod during a public presentation on the fiscal future of the territory, which the union argues is rosier than the GNWT lets on.
The GNWT's response to those allegations is that first briefing note was intended for a private audience because it contained confidential budgetary information.
Deputy finance minister David Stewart elaborated in the public session that the GNWT anticipates $53-million in federal funding through formula financing but that corporate and personal tax revenue will stabilize to historic levels.
The video is not evidence that the territory is headed toward prosperity, according to the GNWT. Instead, the government expects "modest revenue growth over the medium term," wrote cabinet spokesperson Charlotte Digness in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.
On the heels of a 70 per cent strike mandate reached in October, Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod admonished the union's summary of the GNWT's fiscal situation as "misleading," in a news release.
For months, the threat of a strike has loomed over the territory. After talks stalled in October, union president Todd Parsons told Yellowknifer that “a strike will only be a last resort" but that its membership was in a legal strike position.
Both parties left the negotiation table, as mediator Vince Ready determined both parties were still too far apart to renew the collective agreement after three years of negotiations.