N.W.T. MLAs to discuss separate collective agreement for nurses

An N.W.T. MLA has brought forward a proposed bill for public discussion that would allow nurses to have their own bargaining unit when negotiating a collective agreement.

Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan introduced the private member's bill on Thursday.

N.W.T. nurses, along with the vast majority of unionized government employees, are represented by the Union of Northern Workers (UNW), which is set out by the Public Service Act.

Morgan said nurses have been asking for decades to have their own separate agreement that would take into account the specific challenges and needs of the health-care profession.

"It would allow for an opportunity to put conditions in a collective agreement that relate to workplace safety, that also relates to patient safety — for example, safe staff-to-patient ratios," Morgan said.

N.W.T. and Nunavut are the only jurisdictions in Canada without separate bargaining units for nurses. The closest thing to one in the territory is UNW Local 11, which represents Stanton Hospital workers. 

"There's a local in Inuvik that includes gravel truck drivers and nurses, so there's no one union or group that is the voice or the one representing nurses in the territory," Morgan said.

Morgan addressed how nurses are not the only N.W.T. government employees with unique challenges and safety considerations.

In her proposal, she stated the way the Public Service Act is currently structured "makes it impossible for a non-Cabinet MLA to make comprehensive changes to the Act that would satisfy all groups of workers who may have good reasons for wanting their own separate collective agreements." 

The private member's bill is still in the early draft stages. 

Morgan said she has introduced it now so that the public can discuss it with their MLAs and have time to consider it. If there is public support, the bill will be brought forward during the May and June sitting for a first and second reading.

If the bill makes it to that stage, there would be formal public hearings and consultation with stakeholders about it.

In a statement, UNW president Gayla Thunstrom said they have not received or seen copies of the documents.

"As we have not had an opportunity to properly review all the information, we cannot provide comment at this time, other than confirm that at no point did MLA Morgan reach out to the union for information or consultation," wrote Thunstrom.