Federal workers rally to protest government's 3-day back-to-office mandate

Federal workers gathered outside Les Terrasses de la Chaudière in Gatineau Thursday afternoon in protest of the Canadian government's return-to-office plan.

Starting Sept. 9, public service employees will be mandated to return to the office at least three days a week. The Treasury Board of Canada says it is a decision based on increasing worker morale and productivity.

Federal workers gathered outside Les Terrasses de la Chaudière in Gatineau, Que. in protest of the government’s return-to-office mandate. Aug. 8, 2024 (Sam Houpt/CTV News Ottawa)

"Requiring a minimum of 3 days on-site per week reflects the benefits that consistent in-person interactions offer," the Board said in a news release in May. "These include more effective collaboration and onboarding of new talent, as well as building a strong culture of performance that is consistent with values and ethics of the public service."

Major federal unions, including the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), say the opposite is true — since the hybrid work model was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, productivity and worker satisfaction has only improved.

"They have the capacity to do this work at home in better working conditions, and they're more productive," said PSAC president Sharon DeSousa. "This decision really makes no sense."

Unions also blasted the federal government for an apparent lack of consultation with its workers before triggering the mandate.

"We were at two [days] and it was working well," said Association of Canadian Financial Officers president Dany Richard. "Why are we going to three? What problem are we solving here?"

Treasury Board President Anita Anand says the onus remains with the federal government in how it implements a hybrid work structure.

"I will say that a hybrid work environment is not within the collective agreements," she wrote in a statement. "It is something that, at the time of negotiations, the government of Canada retained prerogative over to determine the scope of the hybrid environment."

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Union leaders continued to call the decision arbitrary at this latest rally. Workers say there still has not been any communication with the board on its reasoning for a three-day mandate.

"Being told, 'Hey, you need to be in the office today,' when you're just going to go to the office to take Teams meetings — there's a time to be in the office, absolutely, but being forced to be in the office when you see no purpose of doing so makes no sense," said Richard.

Federal workers say they will continue to rally up until the Sept. 9 mandate start date. The goal is to spark a dialogue with the federal government.

"This is a real opportunity for the federal government," said DeSousa, "and I just hope that they would see reason and sense in reverting their decision."