Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 04/02) - The former president of the Union of Northern Workers emerged unscathed from several attempts to question her about being hired as an employee of the union.

Georgina Rolt-Kaiser says she didn't see any conflict of interest in her hiring. - Nathan VanderKlippe/NNSL photo

Several delegates to the union's triennial weekend convention unsuccessfully attempted to draw official attention to Georgina Rolt-Kaiser accepting a job as a service officer with the union. She began that job Tuesday, only a day after the end to her presidency.

"Under our bylaws and our regulations, I'm a UNW member," Rolt-Kaiser told Yellowknifer.

"I have any and every opportunity as everyone else in our union membership to apply on that position."

The former president said she did not think it would have been wiser for her to apply for the position after resigning her post.

"The competition was there. The timing was there ... The perception is there (of conflict of interest), and if you don't ask questions you don't find out. But has anyone asked me questions? No."

The UNW convention brought together 31 delegates to debate at the Explorer Hotel this weekend. Those delegates were voted from among the union's 3,700 members.

One member said questions about Rolt-Kaiser's hiring "impugned" the three-person committee who hired her.

That committee included Inuvik union member Mike Whiteside, Yellowknife regional vice-president Josie Gould and Roxanna Baisi, the union's director of member services. Baisi is the supervisor of the service officer position. Rolt-Kaiser is her superior.

Emergency motion voted down

Some union members said it was a conflict of interest for the sitting president to be hired by one of her contemporary employees.

Baisi would not comment, but said she didn't think the hiring was a conflict.

"I believe this question is an insult to this group as it impugns the integrity of the hiring committee and does not belong on the convention floor," said delegate Dan Doncaster when Cheryl Inward-Jones, a delegate from Yellowknife, presented an emergency motion to create an investigation committee to study the hiring process.

Inward-Jones said she raised the motion to procure information which would ensure "the integrity of the UNW remains intact."

But Doncaster quickly pounced on the motion.

"This is a convention to deal with specified items, and (the emergency motion) was a political one," said Doncaster after Inward-Jones' attempt was squashed by a 17-12 vote.

A previous attempt to question the hiring was nixed before it could be heard. Early during the meeting on Saturday, Paul McAdams, an outspoken delegate from Fort Smith, tried to amend the agenda to include a discussion of the hiring.

"I would like for the president to account for her appointment to a job as employee of the UNW," said McAdams.

But Rolt-Kaiser called off discussion on the motion before anyone could second.

McAdams said that was evidence of anti-democratic practices.

"Don't ever think unions reflect democracy," he said. "Unions are probably the most undemocratic institutions in the world."