(Ottawa) The Federal Court has agreed to review the federal government’s decision to force public servants to return to the office three days a week.
The decision, which is due to come into effect on September 9, was made by the Trudeau government in May, sparking anger among the union representing the workers.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) took its concerns to the Federal Court, which agreed to hear the case in a decision released Thursday.
The Federal Court’s decision to hear our case is an important victory for federal workers fighting for a fair and transparent approach to telework.
Sharon DeSousa, president of the union, in a statement
“Telework is the future of work. We will not let the government break its commitments and ignore the voices of federal public service workers,” she added.
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The union says the hearing will be an “important step” for workers, who want the decision to bring them back to the office to be transparent.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat noted in a press release that the judge did not support the union’s argument in the decision and that “the parties must argue this issue based on a complete record.”
“This decision means that PSAC’s application for judicial review will proceed to a hearing. This does not affect the decision on increasing in-person attendance,” the statement said.
“Both parties will have the opportunity to present their arguments at a later date. In the meantime, we are unable to comment further on this matter while it is before the Federal Court.”
The union filed a judicial review application in late May to challenge the federal government’s decision. In July, the attorney general filed a motion to quash the case on the grounds that the matter should be dealt with by the union rather than the courts.