Yukon government workers to see 5-per-cent pay raise
'Other territories and other areas have settled for a lot less,' says union president
Thousands of Yukon government employees will see a five per cent salary increase over the next three years, under terms of a new deal between the government and the Yukon Employees Union.
The government and the union ratified the new collective agreement to replace the previous contract that expired in December.
"I think we've done very well," said union president Steve Geick.
"Other territories and other areas have settled for a lot less than that or been presented initially with a bunch of zeros. So no, I feel fairly good about it."
Geick credits a mediator for guiding negotiators through the past eight months of talks.
In a statement, Currie Dixon, the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, also credited "the commitment and collaborative approach of the negotiating teams."
The roughly 3,500 employees — representing approximately 70 per cent of the Yukon government workforce — will see a two per cent wage increase this year (retroactive to Jan. 1), then another 1.5 per cent in 2017 and again in 2018.
The government says workers can expect cheques to cover the period from Jan. 1 to the present sometime in September.
With files from Vic Istchenko