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The Union of Northern Workers is a leading advocate for social, political, economic and environmental justice.  

We work in partnership in the North with the Public Service Alliance of Canada North, our sister Yukon Employees Union and Nunavut Employees Union and the Northern Territories Federation of Labour.  We are a partner in the national actions of the PSAC and the Canadian Labour Congress.

Our advocacy and political action includes:

  • Education of Members on workers’ rights, and support for political action through campaign schools, election activities and programs
  • Public advocacy through media relations, events and demonstrations, lobbying of federal, territorial and municipal political leaders
  • Partnership in advocacy with NWT social justice organizations

News Release:

Labour Views:


UNW RESPONSES to “Frequently Asked Questions - Private Member’s Bill Proposal to Address Concerns raised by Nurses regarding the Public Service Act” by MLA Shauna Morgan


What’s the point of this initiative?

We know that healthcare workers, MLAs, and Northerners want to see more progress on healthcare issues, and so does your union.  However, taking away the voice of unionized workers through legislation is not the answer. 

Most of the issues we hear about in healthcare come down to management decisions. How the NTHSSA manages our healthcare system and its workers is something that can’t really be legislated. However, MLAs can and should call for more accountability from NTHSSA management.

While we welcome the involvement of MLAs in advocating for workers, it is not the place of lawmakers and legislatures to dictate how a union represents its members.


What’s the big deal? If I’m not a nurse – why should I care about this?

Many front-line healthcare staff working side by side in the same worksites as nurses, in professions other than nursing, including Allied Health Professionals. These healthcare professionals could see workplace morale, coworker relationships, and the delivery of healthcare overall impacted under this proposed legislation.


Why is a bill needed? Why can’t UNW members just hold an internal vote on how they want to organize themselves?

It’s not needed.  Union members have the right to and can determine their future without the interference of MLAs.

There are already mechanisms in place for the union and the employer to work with each other to bring forward changes as needed. These changes should be driven by the members of the union, not MLAs.


What about other kinds of GNWT employees who may want their own separate collective agreement?

By giving MLAs the power to break up bargaining units, we open the door to union busting and the chipping away of workers’ bargaining power. Allowing lawmakers to decide how workers organize takes away the voice of the workers they're claiming to help, and undermines the role of the union entirely.  

For example, Hay River Health & Social Services members struggle every round of bargaining to catch up to the gains of the GNWT CA.


Shift workers vs office workers

A significant portion of the UNW/GNWT collective agreement addresses employees that fall outside the “9-5”.   It is one of the main purposes of any collective agreement, to address different and varying work situations.  Amendments to all parts of the collective agreement are fair play in negotiations.

Appendix A10 is dedicated to healthcare workers and includes items that can be engineered specifically toward recruitment and retention of specialized workers.

Appendix A10 is where things like patient ratios can be negotiated, if the Employer had any interest in it, and it would be helpful if MLAs supported this when union members are in negotiations. 

Shift premiums are addressed in Article 27. 

Rules around shift work are addressed in Article 22.02 

8 Hour Rest Periods between shifts are addressed in Article 22.12.

There is an MOU regarding Labour Market Supplements which allows the employer to approach the union at any time to discuss implementing or amending Labour Market Supplements.

Other professions with unique working conditions which have their own appendices or articles include, but are not limited to: tradespeople, corrections officers, college educators, parks workers, school year employees, firefighters, etc. 

Article 57 (reopener) of the UNW-GNWT collective agreement allows for the parties to mutually amend sections of the agreement at any time and as needed to address pressing issues affecting workers that can’t wait until the next round of formal negotiations. The union would be happy to negotiate patient ratios at any time.


What about other healthcare workers (such as lab technicians, etc) who are not nurses registered with CANNN? Could they be included in this new bargaining unit?

No, not according to the proposed changes in the Bill.  It has been written very specifically for nurses only.

Shutting out other allied health professionals who work under the same conditions in the same workplaces is a huge omission and shows that the wider impacts of this proposed bill have not been carefully considered or researched. 


Given that most nurses are considered essential workers, how could they keep their bargaining power if they are split off from the rest of the public service, since they wouldn’t have the right to strike?

They can’t. The reality is that the right to withdraw labour is at the heart of a union’s bargaining power. There is no bargaining leverage more powerful than the right to strike.

The critical role that nurses play in our society is why nurses’ bargaining power is frequently undermined through back to work legislation, which we see regularly in southern Canada.

In addition, in other jurisdictions where there is a complete bargaining unit made up only of essential workers (like nurses), there is an arbitration route available.  Unions generally do not want a third party interfering and making decisions that should be negotiated – however, if used sparingly in instances of last resort, it can be useful. This bill however does not address this at all.  There are many gaps in this proposal, but this is one of the biggest.  As it is written now, the nurses would not be able to strike, nor would they be able to use arbitration; they would literally have no power at all.

Having nurses represented by diverse bargaining units is NOT unique to the NWT and Nunavut. 

Nurses in Ontario are represented by four different unions, with a variety of diverse bargaining units, some comprised entirely of nurses, some combining different healthcare professions, and some where nurses are in bargaining units along with janitorial, maintenance, and other workers in healthcare settings.

Similarly, nurses in BC are represented by four different unions. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to how unions organize and represent healthcare workers across Canada. We need to do what’s best for workers in the Northwest Territories. 


Why now? Why can’t this wait until the government holds comprehensive consultations with the UNW and other stakeholders? 

Our question is: why is this being rushed without consultation with the key stakeholders?

Union members have the right to determine their future without the interference of MLAs.

The government and the Union have been consulting extensively for a number of years on modernizing the Public Service Act. This bill undermines all of that collaborative work.

Workers have the right to meet with their union and understand how this could impact them, and the union has a responsibility to ensure that every affected member has a chance to be heard. Members deserve time to learn about the potential impacts of reorganizing, so they can make decisions about their representation based on all of the information.

Are there other paths the members would like to try before making significant and irreversible changes to their structure of their bargaining unit? 

Are members aware of the other paths and other options already available to them?

Is this something that members want the Union focusing its resources on right now?


OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – What the UNW is hearing from members and the public


How does this affect Hay River Health nurses and healthcare workers?

This is not clearly addressed the way the draft bill is written.  If the intent is to include Hay River HSSA nurses, then all of those healthcare workers must be consulted by their union as well.

Both the GNWT and the UNW have talked publicly about bringing Hay River HSSA into the Public Service. This bill will definitely affect that possibility.


Does this affect Avens nurses?

This is also not addressed and it is unknown how they would be affected. 


If this Bill was to be put forward and pass, would a new nurses’ collective agreement start with the parts of the GNWT CA that they want included?

No. The new bargaining unit and collective agreement would start from scratch.

Major arbitration wins that have been achieved for GNWT workers would in most cases not apply to a new bargaining unit.


Who would represent nurses in grievances and other workplace issues in the interim, before a new collective agreement is negotiated?

There would be no collective agreement which is the “rule book” for both employer, workers, and union. Members of this proposed new bargaining unit would be unrepresented until a collective agreement is agreed to and signed off.


Do NWT nurses have the capacity to maintain an independent bargaining unit?

We can’t speculate on that, there are too many questions and variables.


Why does the union appear to be fighting this?

We aren’t - the UNW isn’t opposed to this idea as a concept. But the bill as proposed is very problematic. Changing legislation is a serious, far-reaching action that needs to be given critical research and consideration. This bill is rushed and uninformed.

All union members are entitled to represent themselves, together, with all the information, pros and cons. 

Aurora College has announced the closure of all Community Learning and Literacy Outreach Centres

The Union of Northern Workers is strongly opposed to this decision. This will affect 47 positions and 31 current employees. We are especially concerned about the impact on small communities in the NWT, particularly those with already limited access to secondary education and upgrading opportunities.  

Aurora College’s transition to a polytechnic should not come at the cost of community-based learning. We should be looking at strengthening the education of northerners, not reducing availability.

This decision is yet another example of how our institutions do not care about residents and workers in small communities, and how decisions are being made within the bureaucratic bubbles based on cost-savings, not people and needs. 

What are we doing about it?

The union will use every tool available to save these jobs and the services they provide. We are currently reaching out to leadership and compiling information about these programs and why they're vital to small communities. We have also published our own "What We Heard" report, based on conversations with members and community stakeholders.

UNW Reports

Union correspondence with College and GNWT Leadership

Letters and releases from NWT Governments and Organizations:

Relevant Documents and Publications:


Aurora College Members:

We want to hear from you! Send us an email and let us know how these closures will affect not only you personally, but the community you serve.

Please include your name and contact info, so we can verify if you are a member or not, and follow up with you for any additional information that may help. 

Healthcare workers all over the NWT are overworked, tired, stressed, and worried.  

The increased use of Agency Nurses in our public healthcare system shows that the GNWT has zero interest in fostering and incentivizing a permanent northern healthcare workforce. Without change, the GNWT will continue to violate resident healthcare workers' collective agreement whenever it suits them, even if it means running our healthcare system into the ground.

Read the letter send by Members of UNW Local 11 to the members of the NWT Legislative Assembly regarding the impacts of the use of Agency Nurses:

Recent News:


Healthcare Members:

What are YOU worried about?  Send us a message through our Worried But Working! website or contact the UNW Service Department.

Please include your name and contact info, so we can verify if you are a member or not, and follow up with you for any additional information that may help. 

link --> PSAC Social Justice Fund Website

The promotion of the right to decent work, quality public services, human rights and equality are cornerstones of the PSAC Social Justice Fund. Through education, mobilization and empowerment, PSAC's Social Justice Fund works to advance the role of our members in building stronger communities, a better country and a more just and humane world.

In 2003, PSAC's National Board of Directors created the Social Justice Fund to house the work in five priority areas:

  • Humanitarian relief in Canada and around the world;
  • Anti-poverty initiatives in Canada;
  • International Labour Development;
  • Worker-to-Worker Exchanges;
  • Worker Education in Canada and around the world.

Then, in the spring of 2003, delegates to the PSAC Triennial Convention resolved to make the SJF a bargaining priority for all units in order to sustain the SJF over the long term.

PSAC has joined a long list of Canadian unions that have set up a labour fund to house their work in social justice at home and around the world, including, Canadian Auto Workers, Canadian Union of Postal Workers Communications, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadian Union of Energy and Paperworkers, and the United Steelworkers.

SJF Board

PSAC's Social Justice Fund is governed by the PSAC Social Justice Fund Board (SJFB), which consists of all the members of PSAC's National Board of Directors. The SJFB meets once per year to establish and approve the parameters and guidelines for the partners and projects to be supported by the SJF over the following year.

SJF Steering Committee

The Social Justice Fund Steering Committee has two major tasks:

  • to serve as an advisory committee to the Social Justice Fund Board, and to develop the parameters and guidelines to be approved annually by the SJF; and
  • to administer the SJF and approve specific projects and programs within the parameters approved by the SJFB.

The SJF Steering Committee is currently composed of:

  • Chris Aylward – PSAC National President
  • Marianne Hladun – PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President, Prairies
  • Marc Brière,  National President, Union of Taxation Employees (UTE)
  • Gayla Thunstrom - President, Union of Northern Workers (UNW)

Previous Campaigns

GNWT Labour Relations has told the UNW that Stanton’s 8 Facilities Management Workers face lay-off. Documents obtained by the UNW show the contracting out couldn't be even broader. The lay-offs could come as early as June 2015.

Stanton Territorial Health Authority plans to replace these workers with contracted-out services. The lay-offs are the latest in a management campaign of privatization. Food services and housekeeping have already been contracted out.

The UNW has filed a grievance challenging the failure to consult on plans for contracting out.

The privatization hurts workers, hurts patients and hurts the hospital and GNWT.

Take Action! You Could Be Next!

Call Your MLA and say “No Way” to more privatization

Ask your friends, neighbors and local businesses to call MLAs and say they oppose privatization

In February 2023, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) proposed to replace its Affirmative Action Policy with an Indigenous Employment Policy and an Employment Equity Policy.

The Union of Northern Workers is pleased that the Affirmative Action Policy is being reviewed and replaced. The UNW views employment equity as a critical tool in combatting workplace discrimination. When direct and systemic employment barriers are removed, then all workers feel valued, included, and recognized for their abilities and contributions rather than judged based on intangible and inherent characteristics.

An effectively designed, implemented, and managed Employment Equity Policy could move the GNWT toward a workforce that is more representative of the actual population of the Northwest Territories.

It is also critical that the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission be implemented in terms of the decolonization of the public service. In order to ensure success of the new Indigenous Employment Policy and the Employment Equity Policy there needs to be a concerted effort and planning that normalizes reconciliation and the value of Indigenous knowledge and ways of being in the workplace.

On March 31, 2023, the Union of Northern Workers submitted comments as part of the consultation process that ended on April 28:

You can also check out our Equity Members page for more information and resources about employment Equity and Equity in the workplace.

In addition to immediate emergency expenses like food, transportation, and accommodations, most people who experience an evacuation take a huge financial hit in pay. Those who are unable to work remotely or in other temporary jobs are forced to use up leave banks or, if their employer does not offer paid leave, go without a paycheque.

The Government of the Northwest Territories needs to be more proactive by enacting strong labour laws that protect workers from job insecurity or financial hardship caused by environmental factors beyond their control – such as legislating paid sick leave, and paid leave for those whose livelihoods are directly affected by a natural disaster.

From April 24 to June 18, 2023, the GNWT is reviewing the Employment Standards Act and is seeking public input.

The GNWT is looking for feedback on topics that are relevant to those experiencing job insecurity do to environmental emergencies, such as:

  • Whether NWT workers should be entitled to legislated paid sick leave
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Types of job-protected leave available to employees

NWT workers, employers and residents can complete an online survey by June 18, 2023:

More Information

For more information about how environmental emergencies impact workers, check out the links below: