On May 1, 2024, Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) announced a mandate that will see all federal public servants required to return to the workplace three days per week starting September 9, 2024. The decision, which was made unilaterally by TBS without consulting with any of the 19 bargaining agents, has left the entirety of the public service feeling frustrated and disregarded.

While the majority of public servants began working remotely in 2020 out of necessity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it quickly became evident that remote work not only enabled an almost seamless continuity of operations but also resulted in increased productivity and improved work-life balance for public servants.

Despite these successes, the decision to mandate a return to the workplace represents a step backward, not only disregarding the well-being of employees and a purposeful presence in the office, but the government also plans to continue to reduce their when the current footprint can’t even properly be accommodated.. This decision is a failure to recognize the reality of how work is done in the current day and exemplifies the employers unwillingness to adapt to the evolving world, all while ignoring their legal obligation for proper consultation with bargaining agents.

In response to this decision, ACFO-ACAF has begun working on each of the following actions:

·       Filing a policy grievance regarding the LoA and lack of consultations;

·       Filing an unfair labour practice complaint for neglecting Division 3 of the Act;

·       Drafting a joint letter on behalf of all National Joint Council (NJC) bargaining agents to Minister Anand and Prime Minister Trudeau expressing our outrage and TBS’s insufficient response to our concerns; and

·       Working with our fellow NJC bargaining agents on a joint campaign to fight this mandate and end the pattern of disrespect towards bargaining agents and public servants.

In addition to these actions, we have organized a virtual letter campaign that will give each of our members an opportunity to voice their displeasure with the decision. Fill out the form on the right to contact TBS President Anita Anand, PM Justin Trudeau, and your local MP in a matter of minutes.

The CT Community is the backbone of the federal public service as stewards of the public purse, and you deserve to be treated with more respect than was shown through the announcement of this mandate.