Unions hold rally in Iqaluit as housing authority strike nears 70 days

Northern unions are calling on the federal government to stop the use of replacement workers as a strike by unionized staff with the Iqaluit Housing Authority nears the 70-day mark.

The Nunavut Employees Union and delegates of the Public Service Alliance of Canada North rallied in support of the 13 striking workers in Iqaluit, where a union convention is being held.

They called on federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan, who has promised to introduce legislation barring  replacement workers, to intervene as the housing authority has hired them during the labour dispute.

"The feedback we have received from unions, employers, and Indigenous peoples will inform the legislation that will be tabled by the end of this year to ban the use of replacement workers," reads part of a statement from O'Regan's office on Friday. 

"Like all major changes we make to labour practices, we are working to strike a balance between doing things quickly and getting things right. We will make sure we get this right – for workers, for employers and for our economy."

The Iqaluit Housing Authority recently issued a new proposal and ended its worker lockout in hopes of ending the dispute.

That includes a 7.25-per cent wage increase over five years and a lump-sum payment of 3.5 per cent on ratification.

The union has rejected the offer saying the wages do not keep pace with inflation and the high cost of living in the North, and the proposal includes reductions to maternity and vacation leave.

"You have an employer that's totally turned their backs on workers," Jason Rochon, president of the Nunavut Employees Union, said Friday. 

"I'm really glad that local workers know their worth and they know they're doing the right thing."