Public Service Confidential is a workplace advice column for federal public servants. The following question has been edited for clarity and length.
I am an immunocompromised federal public servant with multiple chronic illnesses. I still work from home, but HR wants me back in the office three days a week the moment they can give me a private office beside the bathroom. My doctor wrote a letter to counter the accommodation, saying it’s not appropriate and even less beside a bathroom with the shared environment, and it could put my life at risk of getting sick with complications. So I am fighting to keep my full-time telework agreement.
Knowing that the next government will probably be a Conservative one, which could bring everyone back five days a week, is there anything public sector unions can do to fight against it? And would people with telework agreements need to fight again to keep their agreement?
Thank you for your time,
A teleworking public servant.
The answer to your first question is simply yes.
Many of the federal public sector unions are doing several things both jointly and individually to fight the current three-day requirement. These include running campaigns, filing unfair labour practice complaints and filing policy grievances.
Last fall, public sector unions even took the step of challenging the mandate in Federal Court. They’re currently waiting for a hearing date after a judge threw out the government’s motion to have the case dismissed.
I believe the unions are doing everything they can to fight back against this mandate. I would encourage you and all public servants to do what they can to fight back by filing grievances, completing surveys and, maybe most importantly, contacting your member of Parliament.
There will be a federal election in the coming months, and this is the perfect time to find out where candidates stand on this issue. I am confident remote work will be an election issue for many federal public sector workers and candidates should be asked where they stand on it.