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Yukon Employees’ Union and government ratify new agreement

Deal includes new pay grids for nurses and midwives
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The Yukon Employees Union has ratified a new deal with the territorial government. (Courtesy/Yukon Employees Union)

Following meetings that the Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) says saw extraordinary attendance, union workers and the Yukon government have ratified a new contract.

The collective agreement was approved following a June 6 ballot count that saw YEU-represented workers overwhelmingly vote to accept the tentative deal. The agreement takes retroactive effect back to the start of 2022 and will endure until the end of 2024. It is the contract for 3,500 workers represented by YEU and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

“This was a marathon, but for over 18 months, our team went toe-to-toe with management on behalf of their colleagues. I am very proud of the work this team did and thankful that the members were ready to fight to support a good deal. We have a deal, but the work isn’t over; the employer has shown us what they intend to do next round, and we’ll be ready – you can count on it,” said YEU president Steve Geick.

Josée-Anne Spirito, regional executive vice-president for PSAC North, was also congratulatory and thanked the bargaining team for their hard work.

A June 6 statement from the territorial government both expressed appreciation for the work done by Yukon public servants and outlined some of the updates to the contract that have been agreed to. These include a 10.5 per cent wage increase over three years which the Yukon government’s statement says is in line with the agreement recently negotiated with federal workers.

Other changes include new pay grids for nurses and midwives and new or increased retention allowances for a variety of other positions, including social workers.

“This was a particularly long round of collective bargaining as there were some significant factors, most notably the increased inflation rate and availability of the parties, that influenced negotiations,” the statement from the territorial government reads.

“The Yukon government has 120 days following ratification by the union membership to implement the new collective agreement, which covers approximately 3,515 employees. Once in place, the new agreement will be in effect until December 31, 2024.”

Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com



Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
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