Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this afternoon are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger. It used to be the practice of our government, I understand, Mr. Speaker, that salary increments that were negotiated for our own employees were routinely passed on to the non-government organizations and boards and agencies that we did business with, but I'm told that this has not been the case for a number of years now. Mr. Speaker, we are losing valuable ground in terms of being competitive and fair with workers in the social service agencies employed by the NGOs. Mr. Speaker, our own budget before us right now contains, by my math, some $8.5 million in new appropriations related to higher wages in our new collective bargaining agreement, yet the YWCA, which I think is representative of a number of organizations, Mr. Speaker, delivers nine programs for our government 24 hours a day, seven days a week in, I think, some of the most challenging and demanding social service regimes. Mr. Speaker, in a letter that they wrote to Mr. Miltenberger, and this was tabled, they make two basic requests. The first of them was for an immediate short-term remedy whereby we could adjust our salaries by the same percentage increases as were given to the GNWT and the local health authority staff over this and the next several years. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be able to help the YWCA and deliver this request, a short-term remedy, to adjust their salaries by the same level that we adjusted ours? Thank you.
Bill Braden on Question 451-15(4): Support For Non-government Organizations And Frontline Workers
In the Legislative Assembly on February 23rd, 2006. See this statement in context.
Question 451-15(4): Support For Non-government Organizations And Frontline Workers
Item 7: Oral Questions
February 22nd, 2006
Page 1285
See context to find out what was said next.