Windsor workers rally against 'misguided' in-office work mandate

Federal workers in Windsor rally outside of 400 City Hall Square West in Windsor, Ont., on Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (Michelle Maluske/CTV News Windsor)

Starting today, federal workers are required to be in the office three days per week.

Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) rallied Monday afternoon outside of the Service Canada location on McDougall Avenue.

“We’re out here to protest the Treasury Board’s misguided call in terms of the return to office mandate,” said Rubina Boucher, CEIU national executive vice-president. “We were all good enough to be working telework during the pandemic when the Treasury Board wanted us to. And now, all of a sudden, we're not that good to be doing it. It doesn't make sense.”

The Treasury Board of Canada says it is a decision based on increasing worker morale and productivity.

"Requiring a minimum of three 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."

Boucher said it’s not that workers don’t want to be in the office; they want choice and believe telework is better for Canadians.

“They have provided better services to Canadians in their telework roles,” said Boucher. “And, they want to honour this government's commitment of reducing carbon footprints and not having to go back to ill-equipped, expensive offices, which this government has said that they would be shutting down.”

Boucher said their collective agreement expires in June 2025.

“We will be pushing hard for this to be in the next contract, because this is what Canadians need. This is what taxpayers need, and this is what our members need.”

With files from CTVNews.ca