Most PSAC members oppose updated telework policy, survey says

Article content

A survey conducted by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) indicates that most members are against the government’s new requirement for public servants to be in the office at least three days a week, with most respondents also prepared to take action and file a grievance.

Details of the survey of more than 65,000 PSAC members were released on Tuesday.

Article content

It found that 91 per cent of respondents were strongly opposed to the policy, with 64 per cent “likely or very likely” to file a grievance and 75 per cent willing to take action to fight the new rules.

The survey also found that fewer than half of respondents had a two-day-a-week in-office policy fully implemented before the telework mandate was updated.

“PSAC members overwhelmingly oppose the government’s misguided telework mandate,” the union said in a news release. “They are rightfully angry that their employer is making unilateral changes to their work environments without justifying the decision with data.”

The federal government updated its policy on remote work at the beginning of May, requiring public servants to spend three days a week in the office by mid-September. Executives will be expected to be on-site for at least four days per week.

Previously, as announced in December 2022, public servants were required to be on-site at least two or three days a week, with full implementation taking place in March 2023.

The decision has been met with frustration from employees and unions, some of whom have filed unfair labour practice complaints and policy grievances, who say they were not consulted about the change.

Article content

The Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has confirmed that it did not undertake any studies on productivity or collaboration before making the decision.

Treasury Board president, Anita Anand, previously told this newspaper that the policy update was an administrative decision taken by TBS, working with the Privy Council and deputy ministers from across the government. The minister said she had and would continue prioritizing relationships with unions.

Anand was asked for a comment for this story, but has not yet responded.

According to the PSAC survey, 91 per cent of members indicated concerns about expenses related to things like parking and childcare, should they have to go to the office more regularly. Other concerns included commute time and transportation (90 per cent), work-life balance (89 per cent), environmental impact (84 per cent), mental health (83 per cent), caregiving responsibilities (73 per cent), lack of workspace (79 per cent) and job satisfaction (80 per cent).

In a news release, PSAC said it also conducted a poll of 2,000 Canadians through Abacus Data, which found that 69 per cent of Canadians felt it was “a good idea for employers to allow their employees to work from home full-time or part-time.”

Article content

“A majority of respondents also believe the federal government should lead by example and provide flexible work arrangements where possible,” PSAC said.

An Angus Reid Institute survey of more than 1,900 Canadians, however, found that the majority of respondents (59 per cent) supported the government’s new policy.

Moving forward, PSAC said it will “continue to apply pressure on the government” in the coming weeks, noting that its members recently adopted a resolution for the union to develop a national telework campaign.

Soon after the announcement, union heads from PSAC, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) and the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO), said the government should prepare for a “summer of discontent.

While rallies and letter-writing campaigns were organized in the following weeks and CAPE withdrew from the government’s committee on telework, it’s not yet been announced what other actions will be taken by the unions to fight the mandate.

“We are sending a clear message: employers cannot ignore workers’ rights negotiated in collective bargaining,” PSAC said in the release.

Article content