Yellowknife (Dec 22/03) - A review of 28 NWT health care positions led to an increase in salary averaging 8.1 per cent for 16 of them.

Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers, says it's been a long haul towards reviewing 28 positions.

"A lot of this has been ongoing for a lot of years since the implementation of the Hay Points evaluation between the Union of Northern Workers and the government of the Northwest Territories, which was signed in December 2002," said Parsons.

Overall evaluations on these positions were done last March. The union expressed concern with a number of the evaluations and requested it be referred to a review board.

The union and the government jointly selected 28 health care positions to be reviewed.

When a Hay Points evaluation is done, an independent evaluator looks at the "know-how, the skills and training ... accountability, working conditions, as well as mental stress and assigns a point rating," said Parsons.

Of the 28 positions that went through the process a high percentage will be realizing salary increases.

"The union is very pleased 21 out of 28 positions had their point increased. Pay increases were made on 16 out of 28 positions. The average increase is 8.1 per cent with the salary increases ranging from four per cent to 20 per cent," said Parsons.

Licensed practical nurses working in emergency departments will be topping off the list with a 20 per cent raise.

The raises will be retroactive to Sept. 2002.

"That would pretty much be effective immediately," said Parsons.

"The 28 positions will form benchmarks for the remaining health care positions and all the remaining positions will be re-evaluated as of the end of mid-January," said Parsons.

Two of the 28 positions within the study were de-evaluated.

Those two particular positions are salary protected in accordance with collective agreement.

"If someone is already holding a job they will not lose money and they will receive negotiated salary increases as well," said Parsons.

"It's been a long process but it shows the process works and we're really happy with the findings," he said.