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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
In stark black and white, the coffin-shaped placards carried by GNWT employees and their supporters proclaimed the impending death of the working conditions they hold dear: family time, respect, fair wages, safe conditions.

Union of Northern Workers president Todd Parsons addresses a crowd of 60-70 union members and supporters outside the legislative assembly during Friday's lunch hour. - Galit Rodan/NNSL photo

They gathered en masse at a rally in front of the legislative assembly during Friday's lunch hour to show their support for their union's bargaining team, which has been negotiating on their behalf with the territorial government since December and will return for a third round of talks next week.

The Union of Northern Workers represents about 3,700 government workers whose collective agreement expires March 31.

Though there are numerous unresolved issues between the two sides, working hours, wage increases and whistleblower protection are the most contentious.

The employees' current collective agreement defines standard working hours as between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The government has proposed instituting 14-hour workdays, wherein employees could be required to work any eight hours between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., "essentially changing day workers to shift workers," according to the union.

Todd Parsons, union president, said the revised working day would "certainly have a negative impact on our members and their family life and their quality of life."

Kim MacNearney, a former GNWT employee who attended the rally, agreed.

"People are already stretched so thin," she said. "To impose more working hours, it's just – people have enough trouble finding a life/work/family balance as it is. To extend hours in any capacity … it's not going to work out in the end to the benefit of the employees. It's only going to be to their detriment."

The government's proposal for a four-year collective agreement includes provisions for a 0.25 per cent pay increase per year for the first two years, followed by one per cent in the third year and 1.25 per cent in the fourth year. The offer amounts to an increase of six cents per hour for those at the bottom of the pay scale and 30 cents per hour for those toward the top pay level, said Parsons.

The union is asking for a three-year agreement with a 3.25 per cent raise each year.

A four-year agreement would be too risky in these uncertain economic times, said Parsons, adding the government's position on wage increases is "unacceptable" and "an insult in today's economic environment" for its failure to adequately address forecast increases in the cost of living.

"If you're gonna increase the cost of living you're gonna make it so that we don't live in poverty," said Sandra Lockhart of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, who spoke to the crowd.

"Any decisions that are made about our collective agreement, anything that's got to do with labour law is exactly what we're going to be leaving for our children. And so if we're saying, 'Yes, you can cut our wages. No, you don't have to listen to us' … then that's the legacy we're leaving for our youth. And I love that we're standing up and we're here today and we're saying, 'We're worth something, '" she said.

The need for whistleblower protection is the issue MacNearney is most adamant about. Draped around her neck Friday afternoon was a sign that read "R.I.P. safe conditions."

Having recently left a seven-year career with the GNWT, MacNearney is still concerned for the friends she left behind.

"I believe that there are a lot of people a little intimidated in their offices that see a lot of things going on that they don't want to say anything about because they know they risk a lot of things," she said.

"(Whistleblower) protection would be key in keeping employees safe and help them feel safe in their workplace – to know that they have a place to go without repercussions."

MacNearney added that some of those friends would likely have attended the rally but for fear of reprisal.

"And so I come to stand for those people who aren't sure enough in their job stature that they could even come to a rally like this," she said.

Parsons said he was trying to remain optimistic about the prospect of arriving at an acceptable agreement, adding that union negotiators would return to the table this week and bargain in good faith.

"Certainly we want to do everything within our power to avoid any sort of a labour dispute," he said.

But when it came to the terms of the agreement he took a hard line. "We want to improve the quality of life of our members, not decrease it," he said. "And also we don't negotiate concessions."

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