Federal public service unions say the government’s plan to bring employees back to the office is confusing, disjointed and putting health and safety at risk.
The Treasury Board of Canada released its guidelines on hybrid work arrangements in May, instructing government departments to decide “whether, to what extent, and how the location of work can be made more flexible.”
Assistant directors will make health and safety decisions in the context of how their organization operates, guided by public health authorities and occupational health and safety committees, Treasury Board spokeswoman Barb Couperus said in a statement Thursday.
Over the next few months, he said departments will gather evidence and test a variety of hybrid approaches.
“Given the diversity of the federal government’s workforce and operations, there will not be one size fits all,” said Ms. Couperus, noting that jobs range from coast guard ships to laboratories to prisons.
Jennifer Carr, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said the board’s decision to “shift” responsibility for figuring out how to bring employees back to the office to individual departments means the approaches are not coordinated and vary widely.
He said this makes it difficult for the union to provide guidance to members on how an appropriate return to work should occur.
As many of its 60,000 members, some of whom are scientists, have been working on the front lines since the start of the pandemic, Ms Carr said she was looking for assurances that jobs are safe.
Specifically, this means ensuring that there are adequate ventilation rates and adequate capacity limits, and adequate masking policies.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees called for the return to offices to be suspended, citing concerns about “the serious and unnecessary risk to the health and safety” of its members who must return in the workplace due to the COVID-19 pandemic. enters a seventh wave.
He also said that hospitals simply cannot handle any unnecessary increase in infection rates.
President Greg Phillips said in an interview Wednesday that members have not received any justification why it is necessary to start the hybrid session and return to the workplace now.
“Treat us like the professionals we are, show us the truth,” said Mr. Phillips. “Tell us why it’s necessary, and then we’ll get our support and buy-in. Otherwise, we have to wonder, not know what the hell is going on.”
The association represents more than 20,000 federal workers, including people who provide translation services, employees of the Library of Parliament and civilian members of the RCMP.
“Worker health and safety must always be the top priority as departments make decisions about returning employees to the office and workspaces,” said Jeffrey Vallis, a spokesman for the Public Service Alliance. of Canada, in a recent statement.
Mr. Vallis said his group has asked the Treasury Board to build flexibility into plans so employers are prepared for future waves and variants of COVID-19, and to phase in a return to offices to ease workers’ anxieties.
He said most members still work remotely and many want to continue to have that flexibility, and that the alliance will fight to enshrine remote work in its collective agreements during the current round of negotiations.
Treasury Board President Mona Fortier gave the go-ahead in February for departments to “resume their planning to gradually increase building occupancy while continuing to respect the appropriate use of preventive workplace practices.” .
He also said at the time that he expects organizations to adjust their planning based on the evolving public health context.
Health Canada’s public service occupational health program provides federal departments and agencies with guidance on occupational health, including COVID-19.
This program updates its guidelines according to the latest science and the most recent advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada, said Ms. Couperis Fortier was not immediately available for comment.
But employees have options if remote work arrangements are a priority, and that can lead people to “more flexible and understanding organizations,” Ms. St.
He also said there must be a valid reason for the change, recounting the experience of one member who had to return to the office only to connect virtually with colleagues once there.
“Is this really valuing the employee? In a tight labor market, public servants have options,” he said.
Mr. Phillips said he wants the Treasury Board to hold consultations with unions so they can raise questions about the hybrid work approach.
“Obviously, they didn’t think this thing through. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be this massive confusion all over the place,” he said.
This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
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