Nunavik school board and some staff ratify collective agreement
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq still negotiating with the union representing teachers and support staff
Nunavik's school board and some staff have ratified a collective agreement the school board is calling a landmark.
In a news release Thursday, school board Kativik Ilisarniliriniq said the agreement with education professionals includes a housing allowance for locally hired staff, a $7,500 signing bonus for Nunavik-based professionals and a yearly $2,600 bonus for returning staff.
The board said the new agreement allows criminal background checks on staff during employment to "complement" the ones conducted upon hiring.
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq wrote that 95 per cent of union members voted in favour of the agreement.
Meanwhile, the school board is still negotiating with a separate union representing teachers and support staff.
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq's director general Harriet Keleutak said the board is focused on benefits to ensure it stays competitive in recruiting and retaining staff.
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq is Nunavik's only school board and has a mandate to put special focus on protecting and developing Inuit language and culture through the 18 schools and six adult education centres in the region.
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq's staff are represented by a couple different unions and have different collective agreements, depending on whether they are teachers, support staff or education professionals. While this agreement is with education professionals, other negotiations are still ongoing.
Last week, Radio-Canada reported the Association of Employees in Northern Quebec — the union for teachers — was frustrated by how slow negotiations have been, as talks surrounding their collective agreement entered their 30th month.
Larry Imbeault, the association's president, told Radio-Canada at the time the major issue to be resolved was Kativik's plan to change the process for reporting employees' criminal records.