Return to which office? Boycotting National Public Service Week

For the first time since its creation in 1992, the National Public Service Week (June 9-15) will be boycotted by all public service unions. The objective of the week is to “recognize the value of the services rendered by federal public service employees,” and to “acknowledge the contribution of federal public service employees to the federal administration.” The unions are protesting the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) announcement to amend its common hybrid work model so that, as of Sept. 9, public servants will be required to work on-site a minimum of three days per week. It will create a challenging situation for management because there is not enough space for all employees. For public servants, it is all about better public services for Canadians at reasonable, sustainable cost. They have been working diligently to serve Canadians during the very challenging times of the pandemic when they were directed to work from their homes. Many employees also delivered 24/7 services on site in areas such as weather forecasting for Canadians, agriculture, and aviation. Waheed Khan is the president of the Community of Federal Visible Minorities. Photograph courtesy of Waheed Khan The common hybrid work model was introduced by TBS in the spring of 2023, drastically reducing office space. Several buildings owned or leased by Public Works and Procurement Canada are currently uninhabitable due to long-overdue renovations, while 10 buildings are slated for downloading. There is simply no space for all public servants to be working in Government of Canada (GOC) buildings. Public servants no longer have offices, but work at “unassigned seating.” Upon arrival in their building, they go to their floor to find an empty cubicle. They bring their laptop, and often their keyboard and mouse. There is no space to leave a coffee mug or other items of personal use, or even documents on their desk or cabinet. Everything must be brought in daily and taken back at the end of the day. There are no phones at these unassigned seats. When an employee has to make or receive a call, they have to find a “quiet room” and take their cell phone or laptop there. Quiet rooms are in short supply, and employees often book them for meetings, which are often held virtually, defeating the myth that presence in the office promotes in-person meetings and collaboration. Employees often go floor to floor to find a vacant quiet room. The current practice of two days per week works because each desk can be used by two employees: one employee may come to the office on Monday and Wednesday, and another on Tuesday and Friday. There also needs to be some redundancy because some employees work in the office four to five days per week. When every employee is required to come to the office three days per week, at least once per week, there will be two employees for one desk. TBS neglected the feedback provided by employees through the 2022 Public Service Employee Survey. In response to the statement, “Having the flexibility to choose where I work allows me to have a better work-life balance,” 89 per cent provided positive answers. For the “completing other administrative work” question, 80 per cent of respondents stated these activities are best performed from their remote location, while only 20 per cent said a GOC location is better. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said a remote location works better for attending meetings, while only 38 per cent stated this activity can be performed better from a GOC location. TBS neglected its legal obligation under Division 3 of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act, which requires the employer to consult with bargaining agents on issues relating to the workplace that affect their members. TBS also neglected its responsibilities under its own Guidelines for Labour-Management Consultation, which state that good labour-management relations are essential to good human resources management. Unions were blindsided, and they learned about the TBS decision through the media on April 29. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has stated that there is an urgent need to deal with a depleted downtown core in Canada’s capital that has not rebounded after the pandemic, as other Canadian cities have. “The more that federal public servants are in the office, obviously, the better it is for our businesses in the downtown core, and the better it is for our public transit service.” Everyone in the National Capital Region knows that public transit does not provide timely and efficient transportation for commuters who live in the east, west, and south of the city, and the problem worsens for those who have to cross the bridges between Ottawa and Gatineau. The mayor could focus on improving transit, and reducing greenhouse gases emissions in co-ordination with the City of Gatineau. Putting the city’s problems on the shoulders of public servants is not a good solution. Waheed Khan is the president of the Community of Federal Visible Minorities, and serves on the board of directors of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. The Hill Times