Teleworking at the federal level: civil servants angry at returning to the office 3 days a week

#Teleworking #federal #level #civil #servants #angry #returning #office #days #week

Canadian public service unions are opposing a federal government directive to introduce three days a week of office presence for civil servants.

Union representatives held a press briefing Wednesday morning to ask the government to respect a letter of understanding negotiated between the two parties.

“It’s not the three-day point, it’s about the language that was negotiated that must be respected,” says the regional vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Alex Silas. There is a lack of respect for federal public service workers on the part of this government and that is why we are frustrated.”

“This decision by the employer goes completely against what we negotiated at the bargaining table,” he adds. What we negotiated is a letter of understanding for a consultation process where each teleworking request is treated on a case-by-case basis.”

For her part, the President of the Treasury Board, Anita Anand, indicates that this decision is not a matter of union negotiations, but rather of management.

“I must focus on our service to Canadians to ensure that they can continue to deliver services and protect taxpayer dollars,” she said.

The unions are also asking the NDP to support its efforts and to use the party’s agreement with the Liberals to put pressure on the government so that it backs down on this point.

See the full explanation in the video above