1 week Ago
Public servants gathered at a rally in Windsor on Monday to show their displeasure with the federal government's mandate for them to return to the office three days a week. Representatives with Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said the workers gathered at the rally to demonstrate to city hall and the federal government that they want to be heard on what the union described as the "unnecessary" mandate. "The last three years our workers have been working from home and they have been working from home well.
We do not know how that has changed," said Julie Nanquil, a vice president with CIEU. "Nothing has changed in terms of productivity. They have not been able to give us any kind of statistics that would support their claim that our productivity has dwindled.
" Downtown businesses doubt workers in office 3 days a week is enough As of Monday, all federal employees must work from the office at least three days a week , which some had already been doing. Executives now must be there at least four days. Since March 31, 2023, employees have been working under a twice-a-week hybrid model.
Lisa Prescott, left and Julie Nanquil, right, both vice presidents of Canada Employment and Immigration Union, spoke with CBC News on the sidelines of the rally held in downtown Windsor on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (CBC) CEIU has more than 30,000 members across Canada, all of whom are automatically members of the PSAC.
Nanquil said workers have found "autonomy" and "more freedom" in their work, and they feel that being able to work from home allows them a better work life balance. "Also, let's be realistic, the economy that we are in, gas prices are skyrocketing ..
. and let's be honest, families are being impacted," she said. "In the last three years, child-care provisions have been significantly impacted by being able to work from home.
Families have been able to grow, and I'm not saying that we cannot continue to grow, but it has been working. Telework has been working, so why now? Why the return to office mandate now? It is not necessary." Lisa Prescott, another CIEU vice president said the return to office targets racialized and marginalized individuals as well as people who have a disability.
"Making us go back in three times a week is unnecessary," Prescott said. "Three times a week to take a phone call or three times a week to be on camera does not make any sense." As of Monday, all federal employees must work from the office at least three days a week, which some had already been doing.
Executives now must be there at least four days. (Leandra Vermeulen/CBC) Prescott said the back to work mandate also has the potential to damage the environment "by leaving a footprint that we should not be leaving." "If the government is serious about [climate change], then why don't we start right here? We are one of the biggest sets of employees.
We can do this right here. Set the example for the rest of the country," added Prescott. Public service union's court challenge of return-to-office order will proceed Federal public servants to return to the office 3 days a week this fall Rubina Boucher, CIEU's national executive vice president, said the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's return to office mandate is "misguided," and was done without consultation with the union.
"The resolution is they come back to the table and start discussing what a work life balance actually means and what our employees actually need and our members need and we go from there," Boucher said. "We're not asking for much. We're literally asking for consultation.
That's what we ask for. Just give us a little bit of respect." Working on site strengthens collaboration, Treasury Board says A Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat spokesperson said working together on site strengthens collaboration within and between teams and multiplies opportunities for learning and sharing.
"Public servants and organizations have benefited from a transition period of over four months to take the necessary steps to meet the requirements of this increased onsite presence," Martin Potvin wrote in an email to CBC News. Potvin said the board is confident that the vast majority of public servants will continue to comply with the order..
