Yukon and public servants’ union reach tentative deal

The Yukon government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Yukon Employees Union have reached a tentative agreement after about two years of bargaining, but neither side has ratified it.

The government announced the draft deal in a news release on Oct. 27, as reported by the Yukon News. The release said the agreement will not take effect until each side finishes its own ratification process, and that details will stay private until then.

Until a deal is ratified, employees represented by the union continue to work under the previous agreement, which expired in December 2024. Bargaining began in October 2024.

Talks hit a rough patch in June, when the union rejected a government offer and asked for a conciliator, citing outstanding issues including compensation and benefits. Conciliation is one of the last steps available before a union can move toward a strike vote.

The union has begun scheduling ratification meetings to brief members on the agreement before they vote, according to a notice on its website. The meetings run until at least Dec. 2. No date for a vote has been made public.

Public sector work in the North is under pressure on other fronts, as shown by Parks Canada job changes affecting 125 northern staff, and by repeated post office closures in Haines Junction.

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