A major federal union is demanding answers from the Treasury Board after reports surfaced that the government may soon require all federal public servants to return to the office full time.
In a letter to Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali, Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), said the union wants immediate clarification on rumours suggesting the federal government is weighing a new directive that would mandate five days a week in-office by January 2027. According to La Presse, senior executives may be ordered back even sooner.
The federal government has not confirmed any plans to change the current hybrid model, which requires most employees to work on-site at least three days a week, and executives four. Even so, Prier warned that any move toward a stricter mandate without consulting unions would be unacceptable.
Prier wrote that unions were “concerned and disappointed” by reports of another major shift being considered behind closed doors. He also noted that the last return-to-office rollout was a “complete fiasco,” and insisted that bargaining agents must be informed before any decisions are finalized or publicly announced.
The union says thousands of workers are again feeling anxious about potential changes to their work arrangements, and expects the Treasury Board to clarify its intentions.