The federal government has said public servants who refuse to return to in-person work would be punished on a case-by-case basis.
From Monday, every federal employee that is still working from home will commence the transition back to in-person work.
It should be recalled that the President of Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, announced last month that every department must bring workers back to the office at least two to three times every week by the end of March.
In a recent interview, she did not reveal what the consequences may be for anyone who does not return.
She said: “Those that do not comply by the end of March, management will (decide) if they face disciplinary measures or not, but each situation will be assessed case-by-case.”
Fortier revealed the return-to-office plan is important due to “inconsistencies” in remote work policies across federal departments. She did not say what those inconsistencies were during an interview with The Canadian Press and did not reveal whether the federal government has data to explain those inconsistencies. Rather, she said the hybrid work model is guided by fairness and equity.
Chris Aylward, national president of Public Service Alliance of Canada, said workers are willing to return to the office if they get a clear answer as to why the return is necessary.
Aylward, whose union represents 165,000 federal public servants, said: “Our members are completely confused.”
He said he always hears from members about their struggles to get childcare and their unwillingness to spend hours of their day to commute if they are able to work productively from home.
He said: “The government (needs) to stop this right now and to come to the bargaining table so that we can negotiate this, get it into the collective agreement, so that our members’ rights are protected.”
The union is negotiating with the Treasury Board, and PSAC feels any rule about hybrid work should be discussed at the bargaining table. The talks are not progressing well with the two parties filing separate labour complaints against the other.
SUPPORT NIGERIAN CANADIAN NEWS
If you like our work and want to keep enjoying what we offer, kindly support us by donating to the Nigerian Canadian News through the button below
Share your thoughts in the comments section below
Do you want to share any news or information with us? If yes, contact the publisher at publisher@test1.nascitest.club
