In the schools of the Kativik School Board in Nunavik, there have always been two classes of employees: those who come from the “South” and the “locals”. The former benefited from advantages that were denied to the latter, a situation decried for decades by the unions and the school board itself. Now, after all these years, they can claim victory: the Inuit will also have access to retention bonuses and allowances for housing and food, under a new agreement in principle reached in recent days.
“Finally, we will be able to treat everyone on an equal footing,” rejoices Sarah Aloupa, president of the Kativik school board.
It was a long time ago. But Sarah Aloupa will never forget her first day of school. “I was told never to speak my language. I didn’t really understand what I was being told, but I understood very well the meaning of that disapproving finger. »
Since then, Nunavimmiut have come a long way in terms of education, she proudly explains. They have set up their own school board—which enjoys special status under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement—and Inuktitut is not only accepted, but taught. From kindergarten to grade three, lessons are given by Inuit in their mother tongue. Thereafter, teaching is provided in French or in English, by professors who practically all come from outside. And this situation has spawned a new form of discrimination.
In fact, to attract teachers from the South to Nunavik, the school board offers them a furnished house, plane trips home three times a year, a food allowance – it costs 52% more to feed in Nunavik than elsewhere in Quebec – and a series of other advantages.
Local teachers often live 15 in a small house and do not have access to any of these retention bonuses. This inequity has long created “friction” between the two groups of employees, recently lamented the director general of the school board, Harriet Keleutak in an interview with Le Devoir.
In a press release, published last June, President Sarah Aloupa went even further. “The collective agreements with which we work are a perfect example of systemic racism, she wrote. They were not designed by Inuit; the voice and demands of the Inuit have not been heard and therefore do not meet the needs of Nunavimmiut. »
“Historic” advances
Unlike other school service centers in Quebec, Kativik commissioners are involved in negotiations during the renewal of collective agreements. They sit on the management bargaining committee as the employer, but do not decide what conditions they can or cannot offer to their employees. It must first be approved by government officials and obtain the funds from Treasury Board.
After years of requests in this regard, the Kativik School Board finally succeeded last December in obtaining recurring funding that will allow it to improve the conditions of its Inuit employees. Kativik therefore presented new offers to the union members and agreed, just a few days ago, to an agreement in principle with the teachers and support staff. Discussions are underway with the professionals and the school board is confident of reaching an agreement any day with this third and final group.
The Kativik Council of Commissioners speaks of a “historic breakthrough”. At the Centrale des unions du Québec, vice-president Line Camerlain also speaks of historic gains “which will put an end to the disparities in treatment between employees.
Failing to obtain a furnished house – the current infrastructure simply does not allow it because there is a major housing shortage in the region – Inuit employees will be entitled to an allowance for housing and food. They will also receive an attraction and retention bonus. Finally, they too will be able to access an outing allowance to go to Montreal or the territory.
Countering the staff shortage
With these new provisions, the president of the Kativik school board hopes that more Nunavimmiut will come to work as teachers, because the organization is facing a serious shortage of manpower.
Currently, 38% of the 530 teachers are locally recruited and almost all of them teach undergraduate or traditional subjects such as culture and survival in the territory. Very few of them teach other subjects, as this requires them to leave the territory to study at university. Inuit represent 32% of professionals and 79% of support staff at the Kativik School Board.
“Finally, I have the impression that the Inuit are going to want to become teachers more and that those who are already with us are going to stop leaving to seek better working conditions in other organizations in Nunavik,” explains Ms.me Alupa. I can’t wait to project myself into the future to see the impact it will have. »