Iglulik (Oct 25/04) - The hamlet is busy dealing with the aftereffects of an Oct. 15 walkout staged by a group of municipal employees.

On the morning of Oct. 15, a fax signed by about a dozen hamlet municipal works employees -- who provide the hamlet's water and sewage services -- was sent out saying they "are now walking out of the garage and are not going back to work."

But after some emergency meetings, everyone was back working within a half day, said senior administrative officer Rick Doucet. One employee has since been suspended, while another has left his position. Having come to the community in August 2003, Doucet thinks the labour problem stemmed from new management practices at the hamlet office.

Doucet said he has been getting some resistance to procedures he believes will help get the hamlet out of debt in two or three years. The hamlet is currently $600,000 in the red.

Doucet said he hopes to eliminate the debt by slashing $10,000 a month from hamlet expenses. Ways to do that include increasing water rates and possibly laying off some employees.

Some hamlet workers are not happy with Doucet's methods, he said.

"There's some resentment that they have to follow rules, policies and procedures," Doucet said. Included in the municipal workers' gripes are changes in scheduled working hours -- which while not above the standard 40 hours per week -- may now include evenings and weekends in order to improve customer service.

The employees who walked off the job represent only a small percentage of the hamlet's approximately 60 staff members.

"The vast majority of our employees are co-operating and the outlook is very good," Doucet said of the level of support for his new financial controls. But during an in-camera session at a hamlet council meeting held three days after the walkout, there was some disagreement about the SAO's role within the hamlet office, Doucet said. To help improve communication, regular meetings between hamlet administration and employees have now been scheduled, he said.

Mayor Elijah Evaloarjuk could not be reached for comment.