The legislative assembly wrapped up its fall sitting last week. The UNW watches these proceedings very closely as the conversations and decisions that take place there directly affect all our members.

During this session, a theme emerged about how our government operates as MLAs gave voice to what the union has been saying for years SA国际影视传媒� the people at the top who make the decisions are not listening to the people who will be most impacted by those decisions.

Or worse: they are listening, but theySA国际影视传媒檙e choosing not to take action when they donSA国际影视传媒檛 like what they hear.

Our healthcare system has been suffering for years under management that refuses to listen to its workers. This isnSA国际影视传媒檛 news; the union has been shouting this from the rooftops for over a decade. While itSA国际影视传媒檚 been heartening to hear MLAs picking up what our members have been laying down, itSA国际影视传媒檚 disappointing to hear cabinet keep repeating the same old responses.

Yes, we know that senior management is SA国际影视传媒渓istening.SA国际影视传媒� We know that theySA国际影视传媒檝e tied up a lot of our healthcare resources in SA国际影视传媒渨orking groupsSA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒渏oint committeesSA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒渆mployee engagement.SA国际影视传媒� What we donSA国际影视传媒檛 know is what theySA国际影视传媒檙e doing with any of the feedback theySA国际影视传媒檝e received from their workers.

In fact, many of the policies and programs that the NWT Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) has rolled out recently go against what we know our healthcare members have been saying. It seems that the GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 definition of SA国际影视传媒渓isteningSA国际影视传媒� is just smiling and nodding.

When we talk about poor workplace morale, one of the main things we hear about from our members is the feeling that decision-makers are disconnected from operational realities, and donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to listen to anyone outside the senior management bubble.

Workers are tired of lip service. TheySA国际影视传媒檙e tired of ministers gushing about how important employee feedback is and how many engagements theySA国际影视传媒檙e doing because, at the end of the day, none of that feedback seems to be resulting in positive change.

So while Premier R.J. Simpson might be really excited about his new SA国际影视传媒淗ealth Care System Sustainability Unit,SA国际影视传媒� workers (and their union) arenSA国际影视传媒檛 holding their breath. WeSA国际影视传媒檝e seen time and time again that organizing a huddle of senior managers to evaluate the efficiencies of their peers doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 work.

Take, for example, the GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 2024 budget exercise, where they surveyed employees on how to find efficiencies and cut costs. Somehow, despite what we hear regularly from members about the operational bottlenecks being caused by top-heavy management and not enough program staff, the survey resulted in the elimination of front-line positions and the addition of more high-level senior managers.

It often seems like the number one priority of our top bureaucrats is to protect their own and maintain a status quo that isnSA国际影视传媒檛 benefiting anyone because real change makes them uncomfortable.

Somehow, a culture has emerged within our public service that sees accountability as an admission of failure, to be avoided at all costs. This attitude that senior management always knows best means that officials SA国际影视传媒� especially at the NTHSSA SA国际影视传媒� are allowing departments to fly off the rails rather admit that they took a wrong turn that needs to be corrected.

Would you have more trust in the driver who stops regularly to check the map and ask for directions if something doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 seem right, or the driver who insists they know where theySA国际影视传媒檙e going even when the landmarks make it clear theySA国际影视传媒檙e headed down a dead end?

Instead of encouraging meaningful input from its workforce, the GNWT has fostered a culture where workers are discouraged from participating honestly. Just look at how much SA国际影视传媒渁nonymousSA国际影视传媒� feedback MLAs and media outlets receive from frustrated workers.

As a union, we regularly hear from public service members who are hesitant to provide honest feedback to their employer because they donSA国际影视传媒檛 see the point, or they are afraid of management retaliation. TheySA国际影视传媒檙e frustrated because they donSA国际影视传媒檛 know what to do. They donSA国际影视传媒檛 see a path toward affecting the change that needs to happen.

We share these frustrations. Listening to MLAs and cabinet ministers go back and forth during question period, it seems that there are no obvious ways to hold senior bureaucrats accountable for anything.

It appears that the question of who is actually running our government is a sensitive topic for cabinet, as ministers quickly move to shut down any attempts by regular MLAs to find out where the buck actually stops.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 important for ministers to trust their deputies to do their jobs, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 equally important for ministers to provide the direction. They were elected by the people of the NWT for that very purpose, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 disheartening to see bold ideas and promises of change suddenly disappear when an MLA enters cabinet.

The tail has been wagging the dog for far too long. If our elected leaders are serious about fixing a broken system and creating positive change, they need to start holding senior management accountable rather than maintaining a safety net for incompetence and inefficiency.