Thank you, Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to a question asked by Mr. Allooloo on March 3, 1995. It concerns summer student employment program.
Mr. Speaker, the government hires students to fill casual positions over the summer period. The terms and conditions of employment for casual employees are established in the collective agreement between the government and the Union of Northern Workers. During recent collective bargaining, the government was unable to negotiate separate casual wage rates for summer students. The result is that when the government hires students to fill casual jobs, it must pay the negotiated rate associated with the nature of the work being performed. The government cannot adjust the rate of pay based on who is doing the work.
The government must also abide by collective agreement requirements on contracting out work. Employing students for government work through contracts with other agencies may constitute contracting out.
Mr. Speaker, the government is continuing to explore options to resolve this issue. Thank you.