Public servants rally as new return-to-office mandate takes effect

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Bumper-to-bumper traffic snarled major roads in Ottawa Monday morning, as new rules went into effect, requiring public servants to work in the office at least three days a week.

As public servants made the trek in, the federal unions that represent them held a rally in downtown Ottawa, promising not to give up the fight.

“We’re here today, not just about telework, we’re here about the future of work,” said the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) national president Sharon DeSousa at the rally, held by PSAC, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) and the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO). “Telework has given us the balance we need in our lives. More time with our families, engaging in our communities, while keeping this country moving.”

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About 100 union members were at the event, many wearing green – the unions’ designated remote work campaign colour – and holding signs with messages like “telework works harder for all Canadians” and “Serve Canadians not Ford.”

The new mandate requires all staff employed under the Treasury Board to work on-site at least three days a week. For executives, the expectation is that they work in the office four days a week. As of June, that included more than 282,000 workers.

Since May, when the government announced the new rules, unions have been fighting back – holding rallies, filing complaints, encouraging members to submit grievances, sending open letters and launching petitions. In the coming weeks, PSAC is set to launch a $1-million telework campaign. Last week, the Federal Court announced that it would review a case launched by PSAC seeking to quash the new rules.

The unions have argued that the decision was made without consultation and was unsupported by evidence, given that Treasury Board did not complete any studies on collaboration or productivity.

“We have the numbers, the strength and the determination to win this fight,” DeSousa told members, noting that union petitions have received 40,000 signatures.

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Leaders highlighted the impacts of the mandate on members, pointing out their concerns about issues like commuting, working in pest-ridden buildings and being unable to find desk space within their offices.

Phil Matheson, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, said members were “frustrated” and “confused” about why the change was made, adding that the government hasn’t shared “any good reasons.”

In an email last month, deputy clerk of the Privy Council Christiane Fox said having staff work together onsite “strengthens collaboration within, and across teams and, increases opportunities for learning and sharing.” She said it was not strictly about individual performance and productivity but about the entire public service.

“Our members have been working from home for a few years and have been quite productive,” Matheson said, adding that some union members have chosen to resign and leave the public service since the decision was made. “Programs are going to be less productive because if we have people commuting into an office to sit on video calls with teammates.”

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According to social media posts, traffic was heavy in Ottawa on Monday morning as people made their way to work.

In late August, OC Transpo reduced its O-Train service during “non-peak” hours, with the Confederation Line now running every 10 minutes between approximately 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. Previously, the train ran every five minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. OC Transpo didn’t change the frequency of service in peak periods and weekends.

In a memo released Friday, Renée Amilcar, the manager of OC Transpo, said the transit organization would not be providing additional buses or trains in anticipation of the increases in ridership that would likely come with the new return-to-office rules.

“Early observations indicate there is enough capacity for current customers and sufficient additional capacity to accommodate more as ridership continues to grow,” Amilcar said, adding that staff are “ready to adjust service as needed to meet changes in ridership levels,” with the team to provide observations on fall ridership and service frequency at a Transit Commission meeting on Sept. 12.

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