The Public Service Alliance of Canada remains steadfast in their pursuit of fairness for union members

BY PAUL JUNOR

The announcement in a press release on Thursday, July 4^th, that the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) made the decision to withdraw from the federal government’s meeting on the implementation of the direction on prescribed presence in the workplace has triggered diverse responses.

There has been media coverage of the federal government requirement of a three-day-in-office requirement for their employees. PSAC’s decision to withdraw was based on its perception that there has not been meaningful consultation with the federal government. PSAC is one of the largest unions in Canada with over 230,000 members from all provinces and territories in Canada. There are over 120,000 that work for the Treasury Board as well as 45,000 for federal government agencies.

Sharon DeSousa, National President of PSAC states, “This entire process has been a sham and has exposed the Treasury Board’s disinterest in collaborative discussion. Their actions not only violate our agreement on telework but also show a disregard for our members’ concerns.”

PSAC has been fighting relentlessly for the rights of its members as it puts pressure on the government to acknowledge that different policies affect one another with respect to how the direction on prescribed presence in the workplace is interpreted, as it challenges the equitable implementation of the “Directive on Telework.”

PSAC has made several attempts to reach out to the Treasury Board in hope that it will participate in meaningful consultation with it as it grapples with challenges of the telework. It has encountered many oppositions along the way. On each occasion that PSAC requested the federal government to inform it of any planned changes, they felt that they were given false information.

PSAC has made its concerns known. It notes in the press release, “When the federal government announced its misguided mandate to force federal public workers into ill-equipped workplaces, it failed to consult with unions first. Once the mandate was announced, we insisted that the flawed direction be paused and reviewed but the request was ignored.”

PSAC is optimistic about the possibility that the federal government will back down and respond to its request. It is continuing with its plan to ensure that each federal department has its own joint panel that will review telework complaints. There are several departments that currently have joint panels in place such as:

• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada
• Department of National Defence
• Canada Revenue Agency

Talk continues for a new collective agreement between the Treasury Board and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on September 27^th -29^th, 2024. By December 16^th, 2022, after the Treasury Board decided to unilaterally change telework agreements 15 bargaining dates were presented. On June 6^th, more than 150,000 workers took a strike vote for better remote work protection during the first round of negotiation.

PSAC was able to obtain greater remote language protection for 155,000 workers to protect them from arbitrary decisions by feds. As rumours in the media swirled about an increase to three days in office for federal workers was noted on April 29^th, 2024. On May 1^st, 2024, PSAC reported that it decided to pursue legal action regarding a three-day mandate.

There is an optimistic note to the press release in its conclusion. It notes, “We remain committed to securing fair telework rights that promote a flexible, inclusive and respectful workplace, and we are open to rejoining meetings when the employee.”