GNWT talks possible layoffs
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, May 30, 2016
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Although they have not yet received official layoff notices, about 58 employees with the Government of the Northwest Territories face very uncertain futures.
The workers received what the government is calling an affected employee notice on May 26, essentially meaning they could receive layoff notices in as little as eight weeks time.
According to a document released to Yellowknifer by the GNWT, an affected employee is subject to layoff due to their position being eliminated as a result of reorganization, business plans or other formal organization changes.
The government also stated that affected employees are subject to voluntary separation due to their position being transferred to another community.
While the affected employees have received notice, the government stated that no decisions have been made at this time. The GNWT also stated that it is committed to working with each individual who received an affected employee notice to find a solution under its staff retention policy.
Those workers who received notices are now in an eight-week affected employee period and those subject to layoff include employees who have not received a reasonable job offer within that notice period, the government stated.
Essentially, that means unless they receive another job offer with the government in the next eight weeks, they will be subject to a layoff. Any employee who receives a layoff notice will have at least three months before the layoff takes effect, the government stated.
Affected employees will have staffing priority on all vacancies in their home departments under the GNWT affected employee and staffing priority policy. If no options in their home department are available, they will have priority on all government jobs until the end of the eight-week period.
A reasonable job offer for an indeterminate employee is an offer of employment with no defined time period with the territorial government, normally at a pay level equal to or greater than the employee's current level and available within the employee's community of residence, the government stated. For a term or contract employee the last two points apply, however the employment offer must be for a time period equal to their current contract.
The potential job cuts have been rumoured for months as the government has stated that it is looking to either raise or cut $150 million over five years due to declining revenues. The government has stated that the revenue shortfall is due in part to a struggling resource sector and stalled resource exploration.
The notices come ahead of the release of the 18th Legislative Assembly's first budget which will be delivered by Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod on June 1. MLAs resume sitting on May 31.
The government announced last week that it is also looking at amalgamating the Department of Transportation with Public Works and Services.
According to Simon Whitehouse, spokesperson for the Union of Northern Workers, the union has been circulating a petition over the past month, both online and hard copy, calling on the government to reject all proposals for job layoffs.
"We plan on tabling this petition through an MLA during the next session of the legislature," Whitehouse stated in an e-mail. "We currently have hundreds of signatures between both petitions but the final number hasn't been tallied." Whitehouse added that the union is sending a letter immediately to the Standing Committee of Priorities and Planning outlining its budget proposal which asks the GNWT to reject all layoffs. The union and the government are currently in the midst of contract negotiations affecting some 4.000 unionized civil servants.
