OTTAWA –
The federal government says the consequences for public servants who refuse to return to personal work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Starting Monday, all federal employees still working from home will begin the transition back to in-person work.
Finance Board President Mona Fortier announced last month that all departments must return employees to the office at least two to three times a week by the end of March.
In an interview Thursday, she did not specify what the consequences might be for anyone who refuses to return.
“Those who do not comply by the end of March, management will (decide) whether they face disciplinary action or not, but each situation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” Fortier said.
Fortier said the back-to-office plan was needed because of “inconsistencies” in telecommuting policies across federal departments. She declined to elaborate on what those discrepancies were in an interview with The Canadian Press and did not say whether the federal government had data to illustrate the discrepancies. Instead, she said equity and fairness are the principles guiding the hybrid model of work.
Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said people are willing to return to the office if they get a clear answer as to why it’s needed.
“Our members are completely confused,” said Aylward, whose union represents 165,000 federal government employees.
He said he regularly hears from members about their struggles to afford childcare and their reluctance to spend hours of their day commuting if they can work productively from home.
“The government (should) stop this immediately and come to the negotiating table so we can negotiate this, put it in the collective agreement so our members’ rights are protected,” Aylward said.
The union is in active negotiations with the Treasury and PSAC believes that any rules regarding hybrid work should be discussed at the bargaining table. However, these negotiations did not progress well, with both sides filing separate labor complaints against the other.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 13, 2023.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
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