A joint committee made up of representatives from PSAC and the Treasury Committee met for the first time last week to discuss modernizing monetary policy. Directive on telework. This meeting laid the groundwork for what future meetings would look like during this his year-long consultation process.
We are committed to driving important updates to the directive, which was developed in 2020, before the pandemic began, based on feedback from our members.
We will continue to fight to ensure that all telework requests are considered on a case-by-case basis, to prevent a “one-size-fits-all” response, and to ensure that employers provide written responses that hold members and PSAC accountable . Achieve fair and just decision-making regarding telework.
Federal civil servants have proven they can deliver the services Canadians depend on, whether they work remotely or in the office. We look forward to working together on this joint committee to ensure employer policies reflect the new realities of work.
Concerns about the Finance Committee’s consensus interpretation
Discussions have begun on updating the Telework Directive, and while PSAC components and federal departments continue to work to establish a joint committee to consider complaints regarding telework, PSAC has announced that the agreement by the Finance Committee expressed serious concerns in writing about the current interpretation of the LoA. ) negotiated parallel collective bargaining agreements for over 120,000 federal civil servants.
Recent communications from the Treasury Committee, including statements to the media, suggest that the Treasury Committee believes that telework requests should only be considered in exceptional circumstances, and that this is not the intent of the agreement. and in direct contradiction to the existing requirements of the Telework Directive. An unduly narrow approach seriously undermines the parties' shared commitments in a negotiated agreement.
PSAC reiterated the key components of the agreement:
- Flexibility is paramount. The agreement sets out the parties' intention to comply with the broad principles of the Telework Directive and reaffirms that flexibility is a clear objective of the Directive.
- There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Both the PSAC agreement and the Telework Directive confirm that telework arrangements will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Early signs indicate that employers continue to limit telework to “exceptional” circumstances such as illness, short-term work requirements, and extenuating circumstances, which is consistent with the language negotiated by the Ministry of Justice. is fundamentally contradictory.
- Telework is not limited to exceptional cases. government Prescribed presence policy at workIt outlines the minimum number of days a worker must be in the office and does not supersede the Telework Directive or PSAC Agreement, and also provides reasons for denying telework to members and limits the instances in which telework may be undertaken. Nor does it deal with the reasons for doing so. Granted.
- The panel will be responsible for the review. The agreement explicitly requires the joint committee to review telework decisions after each department has made them.
The Finance Committee recognizes that these improvements were important in reaching an agreement to end the national strike. PSAC is calling for clarification of its position as disagreements could affect the consultation process and the effectiveness of sectoral panels. This is an important element of the agreement that provides redress for members who are dissatisfied with decisions regarding telework requests.
If the government fails to meaningfully implement improvements within a reasonable time, PSAC is prepared to take legal action to expedite the process and ensure that members' rights are protected.
