The union representing Northwestel Inc. workers is “cautiously optimistic” the pending sale of the company to an Indigenous consortium might be a good thing.

It was announced Tuesday that the company will be sold to Sixty North Unity, a consortium of Indigenous communities from all three territories, for $1 billion.

Tracey Dupont, the spokesperson for the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers office, told The Yukon Star on Thursday afternoon that she’s fairly happy with the deal.

No job losses will happen, she said. In fact, some jobs that have been farmed out to the South through a partnership with current Northwestel owner Bell Canada should be repatriated to the North, Dupont said.

“We’ll get some of those jobs back from Toronto,” she said, pointing to legal positions and other administrative jobs.

The collective bargaining agreement is in place until the end of 2025, Dupont said, and the new ownership has promised no job cuts.

The union is currently focused on preparing for those negotiations.

“Everything is status quo,” Dupont said.