For a single mom who wants to spend time with her kids, a work schedule of eight hours a day, seven days in a row just doesn't cut it.

Roberta Toudal is one of about 80 Whitehorse Correctional Centre (WCC) corrections officers who's seen her schedule change dramatically since the start of the month.

Jail management has moved the staff schedule from 12-hour shifts for four days on and four days off to eight-hour shifts with seven days on, followed by three days off, then another seven days on with the next four days off.

Toudal was one of about 50 jail guards and Yukon Employees Union (YEU) supporters who turned up outside the legislature building at noon Friday to protest the schedule change.

YEU spokesman Brent Mekelburg described the change as a 'self-serving management tool.'

Under the old schedule, Toudal had a full four days off where she could see her kids.

'They don't even take the little ones into consideration,' she said.

Both Toudal and colleague Breann Cole said the situation has left them looking for other work.

'We're all looking for other jobs,' said Toudal.

For Cole, who's on call for the work at the jail, the new schedule makes it more difficult to get the hours of work she wants.

'It makes it hard to get called in,' she said.

Sandy Bryce, the Department of Justice's acting director of community and correctional services, said the shorter eight-hour shifts means a less tired staff in the final two hours of a shift. However, Cole pointed out that inmates don't want to see jail staff for seven days straight.

'It's a stressful job as it is,' she said. 'And we didn't have a say.'

The first part of the protest saw corrections officers and union supporters walk along the sidewalk with protest signs, waving at passing vehicles.

After that portion of the demonstration, Mekelburg gathered the crowd and pointed to issues workers suffer due to the shift change, including an increased stress level and exhaustion.

'It's nothing more than a ruthless tool,' he said.

The shift presents health and safety concerns, said former YEU president Dave Hobbis, who described it as 'cruel and unusual punishment.'

The only thing the territory has done to deal with the issues facing workers is to offer up a book about dealing with stress, he said.

Mekelburg also said he was pleased to see so many people out supporting corrections workers.

'The new schedule traps the workers in the institution, away from family for an extended period of time,' one correctional staffer commented in a press release.

'Under these conditions, your life is jail. You just wear a different uniform. It's a horrible place to work right now.'

Hobbis said the 12-hour shifts came out of an amendment to the staff contract in 2002.

'We were in a position to put 12-hour shifts in again,' he said.

The amendment was on a trial basis, which was to end last Dec. 31. Hobbis said it was negotiated in good faith with the understanding that if it worked out, the schedule would remain.

Already, seven correctional staff members have filed grievances against management over the schedule change.

NDP MLA Steve Cardiff, who was also on hand at the protest, pointed to issues the party has raised in the legislature around the 39-year-old jail, including the need for a new one.

With a new sitting of the legislature coming up in the spring, Cardiff said there will likely be more matters raised by the NDP about the scheduling as well as the replacement of the jail.

'It's about the occupational health and safety of the workers,' he said.

The new schedule goes against what collective bargaining is all about and is disrespectful to workers, said the Mt. Lorne MLA.

'It's about your rights, your quality of life,' said Cardiff.

While the schedule was imposed on jail staff, Bryce pointed out the union didn't want to consider the option of an eight-hour shift, six days consecutive with the next three days off.

'The things that we came up with, the union denied,' she said.

Management decided to extend the 12-hour shifts until February as negotiations continued.

Throughout the country, the 12-hour shifts are being looked at and changed to shorter hours. In Nunavut, jail guards will also be moving to an eight-hour shift in April.

At the jail, guards need to be fresh and eager to work, said Bryce.

'It produced a very, very tired shift,' she explained, emphasizing that the union had agreed to the 12-hour shifts on a trial basis.

'We know shift work is really, really hard on people.'

As for where the union goes from here should management not listen, Mekelburg said the government will either have to deal with it now or later when voters go to the polls in the next territorial election later this year.

Those classified as Correction Officers One are paid a range of between $49,053 and $56,478 annually.

Those with more training and classified as Corrections Officers Two are paid between $51,237 to $59,053. Corrections officers also receive benefits.