Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 22/98) - The Union of Northern Workers has stepped up its campaign on pay equity.

About 75 members attended a rally at the legislature Wednesday prior to the reconvening of the fifth session of the legislative assembly.

The union wants pay equity to be a big topic of discussion among MLAs in the legislature.

Collective bargaining talks between the union and the GNWT broke off a week ago. The union wants pay equity handled separately from collective bargaining.

Finance Minister John Todd has offered a $40-million package that includes pay-equity provisions. The union has said members are owed about $70 million plus interest.

During Wednesday's demonstration, a trio of union members dubbed the Pay Equiteers sang a parody of "Danny Boy" for the finance minister.

"Oh Johnny boy, pay equity's a calling, it's money owed for such a long long time" and "Oh Johnny boy, oh Johnny boy, we could walk the line" were among the lyrics sung by Dolly Ablitt, Cheryl Inward-Jones and Suzette Montreuil.

"Mr. Todd says he wants a fair settlement but it appears all he wants is to continue his discrimination against women by insisting that pay equity be a part of our current collective bargaining process," Ablitt, president of UNW Local 11 and Stanton nurse, said.

UNW negotiations team member Margaret Bertulli, who spoke at the rally, said pay equity should be resolved through the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

In 1989, the Public Service Alliance of Canada filed a pay equity complaint on behalf of the UNW with the Human Rights Commission.

The union suggested a panel be set up to decide if what the GNWT is offering is bias free. Todd wants the union to let its membership vote on the GNWT's final offer.

The finance minister said he believes he has offered a fair deal but adds he respects that the UNW has its point of view.

Asked about the tone of the parody, Todd said:

"If they want to personalize it, that's up to them. I've made no disparaging comments.

"If they want to sing songs and jump in my face its not going to work."

Sheila Laity, a nurse at Stanton Regional Hospital, criticized Todd's approach.

There are three groups involved, she said: people affected by pay equity and the contract talks; people only affected by the contract talks; and people not affected by the contract because they have left the GNWT.

But, said Laity, the last group is still affected by pay equity.

She said it's not right for Todd to ask the current membership to vote on an issue that does not affect everyone in the union today but does affect people who have moved on.

UNW president Jackie Simpson is in Ottawa at a PSAC executive meeting.

Dave Talbot, a UNW regional vice-president, said accepting the final agreement would "trade away human rights of hundreds of ex-members.