All federal civil servants who were still working from home last week begin their transition to a hybrid formula on Monday.
Last month, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced that all departments must bring their employees back to the office by the end of March at least two to three days a week.
Ms. Fortier, who is the MP for Ottawa — Vanier, added that penalties were provided for recalcitrants, but that they would be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Minister Fortier said this back-to-office plan was necessary because, she said, of inconsistencies in the telework policies of various federal departments. She did not specify what those inconsistencies were or whether the federal government had data to demonstrate them. She only explained that the hybrid formula was guided by the principles of justice and equity.
Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), says union members are ready to go back to work if they are given a clear explanation of why this step is necessary. “Our members are in complete confusion,” said the president of this union, which represents 165,000 federal employees.
The president of the union reports that several members tell him of their difficulties in obtaining childcare services and their reluctance to spend several hours a day in transport, when they can perfectly carry out their tasks in a productive way. at home.
Chris Aylward asks the Government of Canada to come to the negotiating table so that the file of hybrid work or telework is included in the collective agreement.
The union is currently in negotiations with the Treasury Board.
The return to work comes at a time when public transit in the Ottawa area, where the federal government has the majority of its offices, is under strain. An ice storm that hit the area on January 4 led to the partial shutdown of the city’s light rail transit (LRT) system for six days.
Some civil servants have taken to social media to express their frustration with the situation, noting that the back-to-office policy is a burden on people with long commutes to work.
Marty Carr, an Ottawa city councilor, fears that public transit hassles are causing more and more federal public servants to skip it and drive to work.