N.W.T. gov't wants relocated recruits to stay put for 1 year
Proposed change would require workers to pay back part of relocation expenses if they leave early
The Northwest Territories government wants new recruits who get public money to help them move North to sign an agreement requiring them to stay with the government for at least one year.
It's one of several proposed changes outlined in the government's opening proposal to the Union of Northern Workers as the two sides negotiate a new contract covering about 3,900 government workers — almost three quarters of the government's workforce.
"This is more of a concern expressed by departments that they bring up people from different parts of Canada, or sometimes it may be different parts of the world, at considerable expense, and [they're] looking for a level of commitment from that employee," said Shaleen Woodward, the N.W.T.'s acting lead negotiator.
Under the current system, new workers who receive relocation funding do not sign an agreement with the government requiring them to stay with the government for any length of time after they move here.
The government now wants them to sign a one-year service commitment.
"In a number of cases employees have been moved to the N.W.T. by the GNWT only to resign a short time after, either returning to [where they were living] or accepting employment outside of the GNWT," the government's proposal stated.
Asked to quantify the number of cases, Woodward said, "It's not something that we very actively track."
You leave, you pay
Under another change, if employees were to leave before their one-year commitment was up, they would have to pay the government back part of their relocation cost. For example, if a worker had three months left to go on his or her one-year commitment, the worker would have to pay back one quarter of the relocation costs. Only employees who left "by reason of death, disability or layoff" would have the requirement to pay back some of the money waived.
Asked why the government doesn't already place these requirements on relocated employees, Woodward said the government's focus has been on attracting new workers.
"As we look at some of those benefits over time, we start to see things happening, and in this case departments start to see things happening and say, 'It's a significant impact in terms of our budget to pay those relocation costs.' It's about wanting to assure value for money."
Requirement to return
The government also wants to clarify the rules around its Education Leave program, where costs have risen significantly in recent years.
Under that program, employees can have anywhere from 50 to 100 per cent of their salaries covered while they attend post-secondary school to sharpen their work-related skills. The government pays their tuition, too.
Employees who enter the program sign a leave of absence agreement requiring them to return to work for the N.W.T. government for the same amount of time as their leave.
But that requirement isn't in the collective agreement itself (as it is for employees applying for other types of leave).
"This is about consistency, not necessarily a specific case or incident," said Woodward when asked if the change is being proposed because of any abuses of the Education Leave program.
Education Leave spending up by 97%
Between 2011 and 2014, spending on the Education Leave program increased by 97 per cent to $942,000.
Woodward added the government wants the change "to make it clear to employees that [returning to the territorial government] is an obligation."
The current setup leaves room for confusion, she said.
"The challenge for us is that when you have an agreement that says one thing and a collective agreement that says something else, it creates questions. Part of what we want do is to not create questions."
As with relocation costs, employees who don't return to the government after their education leave (or leave the government before the period equivalent to their leave) would have to pay back a portion of the funding they received. A note in the government's proposal says the government would like for the requirement to apply even to employees who don't end up finishing their course of study.
Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers, would not comment on any of the government's specific negotiating points.
But he said the government should be rolling out the welcome mat for new workers, considering how hard it is to attract them.
"It's very hard to attract and retain a skilled workforce North of 60. Certainly wages and benefits should entice workers to live and reside here in the Northwest Territories."