{"id":48417,"date":"2024-05-11T12:04:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T12:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/11\/canadas-public-sector-unions-threaten-disruption-over-return-to-office\/"},"modified":"2024-05-11T12:04:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T12:04:04","slug":"canadas-public-sector-unions-threaten-disruption-over-return-to-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/11\/canadas-public-sector-unions-threaten-disruption-over-return-to-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s Public Sector Unions Threaten Disruption Over Return to Office"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/11\/multimedia\/11canadaletter-strike-gfph\/11canadaletter-strike-gfph-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Canada\u2019s Public Sector Unions Threaten Disruption Over Return to Office\" title=\"Canada\u2019s Public Sector Unions Threaten Disruption Over Return to Office\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">This week, Chris Aylward, the national president of Canada\u2019s largest public sector union, warned Canadians that they were facing \u201ca summer of discontent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Aylward, of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, had joined with leaders from three other public sector unions to announce that they had started a series of legal challenges over the federal government\u2019s requirement that most of their members show up at their workplaces at least three days a week beginning in September. And they said that they would take \u201ccoordinated actions\u201d leading to disruptions as a pressure tactic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For most Canadians, the ability to work chiefly from home faded away along with the pandemic health threat some time ago. In January, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www150.statcan.gc.ca\/n1\/pub\/11-631-x\/11-631-x2024001-eng.htm\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Statistics Canada reported<\/a> that 20 percent of people, including government employees, spend the majority of their work time at home. That\u2019s well down from the 40 percent level at the height of the pandemic but nevertheless higher than the 7 percent level of 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Return-to-office mandates remain a major source of contention within the federal public service. It was one of the key issues behind <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/19\/world\/canada\/canada-federal-workers-strike.html\" title=\"\">a 15-day strike<\/a> just over a year ago. But that job action did not result in an agreement giving public servants the right to mostly work from home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many government employees, like prison and border guards, cannot work remotely, but the government now requires that everyone else show up at the workplace at least twice a week. Mr. Aylward and the other union leaders said during their news conference that many of their members struggle to find workspaces or equipment when they arrive. They all argued that adding another day would compound those issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis misguided decision sets up workers to fail by pushing them into physical offices,\u201d Mr. Aylward said. He added that commuting more would undermine Canada\u2019s climate goals and suggested that government offices could become residential buildings to help with the housing crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Above all, the union leaders said that the decision was a political move by the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau to mollify Doug Ford, the Progressive Conservative premier of Ontario who recently said he would like to see more workers, as well as commercial landlords, back in the downtowns of cities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One factor that did not help the government\u2019s cause is that most public servants learned about the plan, which takes effect on Sept. 9, from <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/news\/feds-update-policy-require-public-servants-to-work-in-office-three-days-a-week-by-september\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a report in The Ottawa Citizen<\/a> based on a leaked memo. (Executive-level public servants will be expected to appear four days a week.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Anita Anand, the cabinet minister in charge of the Treasury Board and, thus, personnel matters, told reporters that the decision was made by senior public servants, not politicians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Myah Tomasi, Ms. Anand\u2019s press secretary, did not respond to questions about how that group settled on three days in the office. She did say the government verified that offices would be able to accommodate staff as they appear more frequently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s a real mess,\u201d said Prof. Linda Duxbury of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, who began studying remote work long before the pandemic. \u201cThe union\u2019s arguments are not persuasive. The union has no right to dictate. Where you work is in the hands of the employer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the same time, she added, \u201cthe government of Canada is trying to do it the easy way, which is focus on days. The harder way, which is the correct way, is to focus on work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Professor Duxbury said private sector employers with effective return-to-work programs look at a variety of factors to determine how much workplace time is needed for each job, including \u201chow much time is spent on client interaction, how much creativity is involved, how much innovation is required and how much time is needed for the things that we know require interaction in person.\u201d Such reviews, she said, found that while some jobs can be done entirely remotely, others may require five-day-a-week attendance and many are somewhere in between.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The union leaders were vague about what sort of \u201cworkplace action\u201d would set off the summer of disruption. Perhaps for good reason: Any sort of workplace slowdown or walkout would be treated by the government as illegal under labor law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A union representing Canada Border Services Agency employees is in contract talks and could, in theory, go on a legal strike. But a government official told me that 80 percent of its members are essential workers who cannot strike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Professor Duxbury said that if the unions make good on their threat, it\u2019s certain to have one outcome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019m not expecting a lot of sympathy from the Canadian public,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<ul class=\"css-1le37cb ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The federal government took a step back on a pilot <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/07\/world\/canada\/british-columbia-public-drug-use.html\" title=\"\">drug decriminalization program<\/a> in British Columbia this week, at the province\u2019s request. After a political backlash, it is again a crime to use drugs like cocaine and fentanyl in public spaces there.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The arrests of three Indian men in connection with the 2023 killing in Surrey, British Columbia, of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh nationalist, have again raised questions about the relationship between <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/04\/world\/asia\/canada-india-sikh-arrests-gangs.html\" title=\"\">India\u2019s external spy agency and criminal networks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The actor Eugene Levy takes readers to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/09\/travel\/eugene-levy-toronto.html\" title=\"\">five of his favorite places in Toronto<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">A security guard was <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/07\/arts\/music\/drake-shooting-security-guard-toronto.html\" title=\"\">shot outside Drake\u2019s Toronto mansion<\/a> this week after an escalation in the rapper\u2019s feud with Kendrick Lamar. A <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/06\/dining\/drake-kendrick-lamar-chinese-restaurant-toronto.html\" title=\"\">Chinese restaurant in Toronto<\/a> has found itself caught in the middle.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The novelist Mona Awad presents <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/06\/books\/books-montreal-canada.html\" title=\"\">a reader\u2019s guide to Montreal<\/a>, her hometown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">A native of Windsor, Ontario, Ian Austen was educated in Toronto, lives in Ottawa and has reported about Canada for The New York Times for two decades. Follow him on Bluesky at <\/em><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/ianausten.bsky.social\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">@ianausten.bsky.social<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">How are we doing?<\/strong><br \/>We\u2019re eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/11\/world\/canada\/mailto:nytcanada@nytimes.com?%20subject=Canada%20Letter%20Newsletter%20Feedback\" title=\"\">nytcanada@nytimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Like this email?<\/strong><br \/>Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/newsletters\/canada-letter?smid=nytemail&amp;smvar=canadaletter&amp;te=1&amp;nl=canada-today&amp;emc=edit_cnda_20190622\" title=\"\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/11\/world\/canada\/canada-public-sector-unions-remote-work.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, Chris Aylward, the national president of Canada\u2019s largest public sector union, warned Canadians that they were facing \u201ca summer of discontent.\u201d Mr. Aylward, of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, had joined with leaders from three other public sector unions to announce that they had started a series of legal challenges over the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/11\/multimedia\/11canadaletter-strike-gfph\/11canadaletter-strike-gfph-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6379,16052,1951,3560,3950,5394,13603,28058],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48417"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48419,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48417\/revisions\/48419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}