Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unionized employees in the GNWT are not entitled to bonuses. It is not part of their Collective Agreement. The individual categories of employment that are eligible for bonuses are excluded employees, senior management employees and executive management employees. For both the executive managers and senior managers, they, unlike union excluded employees, don’t have a grid system as far as their pay is concerned.
For UNW excluded, every year up to eight years, an individual can move up a grid one step at a time. For senior and executive managers, that doesn’t exist.
There is an entire range. For an individual to move within that grid to be consistent with UNW and excluded, we utilize the performance bonus system which will allow them to move within the grid. It is also, as I have indicated before, an opportunity to recognize individuals for exceeding and going beyond their normal job requirements.
Just as another note, I would like to point out, as well, that in the excluded category and senior management category, individuals, employees are not entitled to overtime. They do not earn any overtime similar to what individuals in the excluded category and union category can earn. These individuals – and all of us know many individuals who work in this area – know they are putting in excessive hours well beyond the 37.5. In fact, many of our employees in these categories are putting in 60, 70 and more hours a week. If we were to actually compensate these individuals for overtime as opposed to the performance bonus system that we have in place which recognizes steps but also all the above and beyond services that they are providing, it would far exceed more than double, probably, than what we are paying them bonuses at this point in time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.