Public officials must return to their positions three days a week

Article content

The federal government will soon announce changes to its hybrid work model, forcing public servants to be in the office three days a week, instead of two.

The exact details of when the new rules would be implemented were unclear, but the changes are expected to come into effect around September, a government source confirmed to this newspaper. The source spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that an official government announcement is not expected until later this week.

Article content

Article content

Le Droit newspaper was the first to report on the upcoming changes.

When the federal government published its directive Regarding prescribed workplace presence at the end of 2022, most federal public servants were instructed that they would return to the office for up to three days a week.

That directive mandated that deputy chiefs implement a “minimum requirement of 2 to 3 days per week in the workplace for all public servants” or a minimum of 40 percent to 60 percent of employees’ regular hours.

Since then, the issue of teleworking has been a major point of contention between unions and was a major point of friction during last year’s Public Services Alliance of Canada strike, which involved more than 155,000 workers.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat spokesperson Joie Huynh said in an email Monday that the federal public service was committed to hybrid work, but did not answer whether the government planned to modify its rules on how many days employees They must be in the office. .

“We will continue to assess how hybrid working is implemented and optimized across the public service, adapting as necessary,” Huynh said.

Article content

Treasury Board President Anita Anand was not available to comment Monday on the issue.

In a statement on Monday, PSAC said the government had not discussed changing its hybrid working policy during consultations with the union to update its Teleworking Directive.

“A move by the Treasury Board in this direction would contrast sharply with its current practices on hybrid work and its recent announcements,” PSAC he wrote in an online statement, noting that she had contacted Treasury Board President Anita Anand to “immediately” discuss the potential changes and their impact on workers. “Public service workers deserve a fair and well-defined approach to hybrid work, developed in consultation with federal bargaining agents.”

Federal public servants returning to office more frequently is “really positive news,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday at a news conference with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. “It’s about revitalizing the downtown here in Ottawa.”

When asked if three days is enough, Ford said it was “a good start.”

“It’s always nice to see everyone go to work five days a week,” he added.

Article content

Ford said a greater presence of workers would support the transit system, small business owners, restaurants and stores who “need to have traffic.”

The prime minister has urged the federal government to have its employees work in the office more regularly, telling business and community leaders at the mayor’s breakfast in March that “hopefully the prime minister will call on people to come back.” to work”.

Sutcliffe reiterated the prime minister’s comments, telling reporters that if the news is true, the change would be “better for downtown Ottawa and better for public transportation.”

“It’s not my decision. It is a matter between the federal government and its employees. But ultimately, no matter how many times a week employees come to the office, we must work with the federal government on a plan for downtown Ottawa,” Sutcliffe said. “Downtown Ottawa has been disproportionately affected, compared to other Canadian cities, by the effects of COVID, by the effects of hybrid work.”

In its recent budget, the federal government pledged to reduce its office portfolio by 50 per cent, which Sutcliffe said “will have a devastating impact on our economy”.

Article content

“We need to work with the federal government on a solution and many solutions to make sure that we have economic prosperity downtown, that small businesses, restaurants and store owners are protected, that our finances as a city are protected if we’re suffering a dramatic impact in terms of property taxes due to changes in the real estate market.”

With Postmedia files.

Our website is your destination for the latest news, so be sure to bookmark our homepage and Subscribe to our newsletters so we can keep you informed.

Article content