Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 26/02) - A 13-year legal battle over pay equity between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the territorial government has finally been resolved.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal was in Yellowknife yesterday to sign an agreement reached between the two parties and the Canadian Human Rights Commission for a total sum of $50 million. The tribunal is the adjudicate body appointed by the commission to resolve the complaint.

Tribunal chair Paul Groarke called the agreement "an unusual situation," but Public Service Minister Joe Handley and PSAC president Nycole Turmel said they are relieved nonetheless.

"It is very sad to think that workers have been waiting so long to get a settlement, but finally we are there and will have the money put in their pockets," said Turmel during a press conference at the legislative assembly yesterday.

PSAC filed a complaint against the GNWT in March 1989, citing pay inequities in female-dominated jobs, such as file clerks and receptionists within various departments of the government.

The scope of the settlement covers more than 6,000 employees who worked with the GNWT between March 28, 1989, and March 31, 1998.

Some $23 million has already been paid out in individual settlements to current and past GNWT employees through a federal court ruling in 1999.

The additional $27 million will be paid out by the GNWT and the Nunavut government starting this December. The ratio of the split has not been determined yet.

Handley said current and past employees have until December 2004, to make their claims. The minister conceded that the lawsuit and complaint have been expensive, but could have very well lasted for many more years if a settlement hadn't been reached.

"I don't have a total one (cost estimate), but it certainly has to be well into the millions of dollars," said Handley.

"We spent millions of dollars over the years, and it would've continued on for years and years.

"So our feeling is that it is always better to come to an agreement like this, that is good for the employees first of all, good for us as Northern tax payers, and good from PSAC's point of view, and I think it resolves it, puts it behind us, and lets us get on with continuing to have a good public service."