Strike ends for Fort Simpson, N.W.T. housing workers

CBC
·1-min read
The bargaining team for Fort Simpson housing workers. The union represents seven workers. Staff with the Fort Simpson Housing Authority serve clients from Fort Simpson as well as Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte, Sambaa K'e and Wrigley.  (Submitted by Josee-Anne Spirito - image credit)
The bargaining team for Fort Simpson housing workers. The union represents seven workers. Staff with the Fort Simpson Housing Authority serve clients from Fort Simpson as well as Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte, Sambaa K'e and Wrigley. (Submitted by Josee-Anne Spirito - image credit)

Unionized housing workers in Fort Simpson, N.W.T. will return to the job after voting to ratify a new collective agreement Friday.

Workers had been on the picket line for 53 days striking over low wages that the union said led to overworking and burnout among employees.

Employees are expected to return to work as early as Monday Nov. 25, according to a press release Friday afternoon from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

The new deal is a three-year agreement for Fort Simpson Housing Authority workers secures "economic increases" within a half a percentage point of what employees with the N.W.T. government have negotiated. It also provides extended parental leave, a land acknowledgement statement and a requirement that the employer pay for any note requested to certify sick leave.

Fort Simpson Housing Authority workers serve approximately 180 housing units, providing services to Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River, Sambaa K'e, Nahanni Butte, and Wrigley.

The union says the agreement represents a "significant step" toward better housing for workers and families across the North.

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