Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to speak about how we, the GNWT, treat some of our employees. I think we generally do a good job, but certainly I and all Members, I expect, have had constituents who have not been treated well by government.
To explain, here’s an example. I use the government’s actions with staff whose job it is to be decentralized. There are two issues here. One is how we advise our employees about the decentralization of their job. It’s done respectfully, but well before the job will actually change location. Staff are notified more than a year in advance of the decentralization of their job. Some may think that’s a good move, but I suspect the majority of the employees involved see it as a year to fret, to worry and to endure an uncertain future with no options to fix the situation until two months prior to the moving date.
That brings me to the second problem, that of how we handle our staff who will be decentralized and the policies which govern their circumstances. I’ve looked at the Human Resources policies and manuals that govern staff hiring and firing. I found it most interesting that the term used for someone who refuses to move to a new community is “voluntary separation.” I expect the affected person does not see their situation as voluntary. The employer says your job is moving, you’re agreeing to give up your job. I don’t think this is an apt term for the situation.
It was extremely difficult to find the appropriate info for voluntary separation on the HR website, or any other affected employee info for that matter. There is an HR Manual, so it would seem logical to go there to find out all there is to know about affected status, how the employee can expect to be treated and the options available to him or her. But the HR Manual has no information on voluntary separation. For that one has to search for and find a number of policies that apply.
Why is that info not all in one place? Why are the policies not part of the HR Manual? Perhaps it’s too logical.
Admittedly, we have HR staff who can help employees who are affected, but I’m sure many employees and the public want to find the info out for themselves, to study it before they meet with HR. We certainly don’t make it easy for them to find out about the circumstances of their voluntary separation.
In response to my questions earlier this sitting, the Premier responded, “We look after our affected employees.” I say letting them stew about their uncertain job situation for 10 or 12 months is hardly
in their best interest and it’s hardly looking after our employees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.