SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - When word got out that the proposed budget would feature considerable cuts to the public service, the union representing government workers pledged to pressure MLAs to say 'no.'

Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers, holds up a few of the 800 postcards sent from around the NWT to Premier Floyd Roland, opposing job cuts in the public service. - Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo

The Union of Northern Workers (UNW) committed $1 million to fight the proposed reductions.

For three weeks regular MLAs discussed and recommended specifics on spending while the budget was in committee, ending on Tuesday with Premier Floyd Roland reinstating a total of 30 positions around the NWT.

On Wednesday, the union president felt their work had paid off.

"Certainly, we feel it was a successful campaign on behalf of the citizens of the Northwest Territories," said union president Todd Parsons.

Parsons echoed statements Minister Michael Miltenberger made in the house on Tuesday.

"This is the most amended budget in the NWT's history," Parsons said.

According to Parsons, the union's success was the culmination of weekly meetings with MLAs, consultations with outside agencies, the commissioning of the Parkland Report, an independent financial statement of the NWT's economic status, and also their many visible demonstrations around Yellowknife.

"The ability for the union and the residents of the Northwest Territories to come together and be able to have our voice heard by the regular MLAs, and for those regular MLAs to represent that interest, with the spirit of consensus government in mind, and their ability to influence the government—that is the real success," Parsons said.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins thanked the union for their work.

"They called us. They talked to us," he said. "They took a lot of time to make sure we understood their points of view."

The budget was made official Tuesday night without fanfare and with no spectators in the gallery.

Contacted late Tuesday, a UNW spokesperson expressed surprise that the budget was in third reading.

"Our ability to influence the government any further made no difference if we were sitting in the gallery," said Parsons, adding the union was aware the budget would receive third reading sometime that week.

Parsons cleared up some confusion over the actual number of employees potentially affected by the reductions and where it was now.

He said 230 to 240 positions were originally targeted for reductions. Of that, 88 vacant government positions were reduced.

On Tuesday, Glen Abernethy, MLA for Great Slave, said of the 135 remaining affected employees, around 30 had been re-employed to other government positions or taken early retirement and many other jobs were slated to run out.

When the government reinstated 30 positions, it meant approximately 40 employees would lose their jobs with the passed budget.

"Really, it's so early in the process, we are going to need to confirm those numbers," said Parsons.

Parsons also weighed in on the 124 jobs potentially created from new initiatives and investments in the budget that was mentioned in the house on Tuesday.

"We are going to have to sit down with the employer to find out exactly what those numbers are," he said.

Parsons said the union had stayed under budget, and was "far from" the $1 million they had devoted to their campaign.

The union's work is not over.

"There is a lot in this budget that we continue—and will continue—to oppose," said Parsons.

Reductions were to be rolled out over two years.

"We will continue to challenge, to look, to monitor what this government has outlined for the '09-10 budget and bring profile to those issues to make sure that the quality public services that are provided will continue to be provided to the residents of the Northwest Territories," he said.