Union warns of more job transfer woes

North.CBC, 3 July 2003, 09:08 AM CDT

IQALUIT, Nunavut— The Nunavut Employees Union says the territorial government may have trouble filling the latest batch of jobs to be transferred out of the capital to a smaller community. Union president Doug Workman says the government is already having trouble filling it's vacant jobs in Iqaluit.

Twenty three government jobs are being relocated from Iqaluit to Pangnirtung.

Workman says the government's plan to spread jobs throughout the territory is an admirable one, but could be making a bad situation worse.

If we can't staff them in Iqaluit, I wonder how they expect to fill the jobs in Pangnirtung, Workman says.

The government has already run into problems with it's move of 15 jobs to Igloolik. Eleven of the 15 employees in the jobs quit rather than take the transfers. Even if they had moved, they would have been hard pressed to find housing.

Akeeagok says they reflect nationwide shortages.

The affected employees have 90 days to decide if they're willing to make the move. Akeeagok says he'll have a better idea then how many new staff need to be hired, and how many need housing.