The Union and the Employer teams met July 6 – 7, July 13-17 and again July 20-22.
During our July bargaining sessions, the team presented proposals on each of the Union’s outstanding bargaining items. Membership priorities identified at the bargaining conference have now all been presented to the Employer as formal proposals.
As follows is a general overview of the proposals the team submitted and discussed with the Employer during these July sessions.
Working conditions: We proposed critical workload and scheduling protections to target chronic short staffing across all government departments and also to implement safe staffing ratios for healthcare workers. In addition, the team tabled stronger scheduling language to address problems facing shift workers and College Instructors.
Leave improvements: The Union team is challenging the Employer to provide better entitlements for vacation leave, sick leave and special leave to ensure members get the time needed to rest, recover and take care of their families.
Modernizing our Classification System: The team also put forward a proposal to review and update the current classification system. The goal is to update outdated benchmark job descriptions so they reflect current responsibilities and in turn compensate for increasingly complex job requirements. This is particularly important as HRHSSA will become part of the GNWT April 2027 there are many job descriptions and rates of pay that will need to be reviewed, updated and reconciled.
Financial Proposals: The Union team tabled a comprehensive monetary package designed to keep pace with the ever-escalating cost of living. Our proposals ranged from general wage hikes, substantial shift premium improvements and Northern Allowance upgrades.
In addition, the team addressed dental plan improvements in reimbursements, as well as setting aside time and money to support professional development. Lastly the team proposed medical travel improvements, and a number of other occupational specific reimbursements such as improvements in footwear allowances, a correctional services wellness benefit and other specific stipends.
Safety & Health, Reconciliation: The team again revisited our Health and Safety proposals to ensure safer work places and keep pace with legislative changes. We also pressed GNWT on establishing a Reconciliation statement in the beginning of the Collective Agreement and embedding the principle of Culturally Appropriate Health Care into the agreement as well.
The team is deeply disappointed by the Employer response to our proposals. Whether the proposal was economic or a language improvement, the counters they provided fell short. The Employer simply has to do much better given they missed the mark these past few weeks. If we are to reach a deal that reflects the value of the work that members do, GNWT has to step up.
Our next bargaining session is scheduled for August 5-7.
In solidarity, your bargaining team:
YOUR BARGAINING TEAM
Marie Buchanan
Cee Birch
Jabin Carrasco
Andrew Gregory
Jeff Groenewegen
Tamara Holliday
Gayla Thunstrom, UNW President
Erna Post, PSAC Negotiator
Ted Klassen, PSAC Research Officer
Chris Parsons, UNW Director of Membership Services
Caitlin Lacey, Political Assistant to the UNW