Mr. Speaker, I received a copy of a letter from a member of the UNW Bargaining Committee stating that the UNW had not conceded that the Hay Job Evaluation System was gender neutral. Mr. Speaker, I was informed by the government negotiator that on May 4, 1998, the PSAC classification spokesperson for the UNW, Mr. Chris Jones, said "the Union had no objection to the Hay Job Evaluation System in principle". He said that the Union accepts that the system is gender neutral. He then, according to the GNWT negotiator, went on to criticize the process followed by the GNWT.

Mr. Speaker, on May 6, 1998, the GNWT negotiator at collective bargaining, acknowledged the UNW's acceptance that the Hay Job Evaluation System was gender neutral. He then responded that the criticism of the implementation process was based on misunderstanding and misinterpretations. He then proceeded to deal with each of the Union's process concerns. Thank you.