A three-year deal agreed between the NWT government and Union of Northern Workers in June has now been formally ratified by both parties.
The new collective agreement, backdated to April 2023 and running till March 2026, gives thousands of GNWT workers a salary increase of 10.5 percent over three years, the two sides have said.
The deal breaks down to a six-percent pay increase backdated to April 1, 2023; a 2.25-percent pay increase backdated to April 1, 2024; then lastly a 2.25-percent pay increase effective April 1, 2025.
The actual overall increase is a little higher than the sides have stated. Taking into account the compounded increases as wage hikes are applied over time, affected members will be earning around 10.8 percent more at the end than they were at the start.
Affected Indigenous staff will also receive four days of paid cultural leave, while healthcare staff are promised “recruitment and retention improvements” under the deal.
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“Employees will see salary increases on their pay cheques in November 2024 and retroactive payments will be actioned in December 2024,” the GNWT stated.
Labour market supplements – which are where extra incentives for healthcare staff normally appear – “are expected to be processed in December 2024,” the GNWT added.
