Every worker’s job and situation are unique, and a cookie cutter approach to telework can’t be applied to Canada’s diverse public service. Overwhelming evidence proves that telework improves work-life balance and increases productivity for workers.
The government’s misguided decision to mandate federal public service workers into the office at least three days per week blatantly disregards their well-being and violates their collective bargaining rights.
This decision was made without any consultation with unions or workers, and flies in the face of the telework agreement PSAC negotiated in the last round of bargaining.
It’s time to fight back
PSAC has prepared a number of resources to help workers fight for telework. We’ve collected some of these resources below: Grievance wording, virtual backgrounds, useful information, etc. Take a look!
On this page:
When to file a grievance
Proposed grievance wording
Telework petition
Fight for telework questionnaire
Telework visual assets
Changes to the Telework Directive: What you need to know
Also see the PSAC telework FAQ
When to file a grievance
As part of our coordinated legal response, we are encouraging all affected members to put in grievances against the unilateral amendment of the Direction. Grievances should be filed for the following issues:
- Where the amended Direction results in a member being arbitrarily required to work more days in the office;
- Where a member has had an existing telework agreement disregarded or altered because of the Direction;
- Where a member experiences additional adverse impacts because of their membership in a human rights-protected group;
- Or, where a member has experienced losses or out-of-pocket costs because of the Direction.
However, you should always go through your union when submitting a grievance. Contact your Branch President for assistance. Branch Presidents should contact the CIU Labour Relations Officer assigned to their Branch for further guidance.
Proposed grievance wording
While grievances should be individualized to reflect the specific circumstances and concerns of individual members, the following template grievance language can be customized to address most cases:
This is an individual grievance hereby filed pursuant to Section 208 of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act.
Details of the grievance:
I grieve the Employer’s conduct in amending the Direction on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace (the “Direction”) in violation of the collective agreement by:
- Amending and implementing the Direction in a manner which is unreasonable, arbitrary, and inconsistent with the principles for flexible working arrangements, in violation of the provisions of the applicable Collective Agreement, including but not limited to Article 6 of Collective Agreement, the Letter of Agreement on Telework, the Directive on Telework, as well as any other applicable provisions of the Collective Agreement, employer policies, or legislation;
- Amending and implementing the Direction in a discriminatory manner that has breached the employer’s duty to accommodate and has reduced accessibility, inclusiveness and equity in violation of my rights protected by the Canadian Human Rights Act (“CHRA”) and [Article 19 of the Program and Administrative Services (PA), Operational Services (SV), Technical Services (TC), and Border Services (FB) agreements or Article 16 of the Education and Library Science (EB) agreement]; and
- Amending and implementing the Direction in a manner which unreasonably and inappropriately departs from my existing telework/remote work arrangements and has caused me prejudice and hardship.
You should always go through your union when submitting a grievance. Contact your Branch President for assistance. Branch Presidents should contact the CIU Labour Relations Officer assigned to their Branch for further guidance.
Click here for more information on grievances
Petition to repeal the three-day in-office mandate
Sign the petition to demand the government repeal the three-day in-office mandate and move to the promised case-by-case framework for telework, rather than the one-size-fits-none model they have committed to. We also want them to enshrine this policy into our collective agreements during the next round of bargaining.
Click here to sign the petition
Fight for telework questionnaire
As we move beyond September 9, how likely are you to stay involved in our fight for telework? Complete the brief questionnaire below to let us know.
Click here to complete the questionnaire
Telework visual assets
Blank Placard
Set of 4 placards
Social Media
Virtual Background
Changes to the Telework Directive: What you need to know
Treasury Board has announced updates to the Telework Directive effective April 1, 2025. Although PSAC and other unions were consulted, Treasury Board did not consider our key recommendations: rescinding the mandatory return to office and the “one-size-fits-all” approach; allowing each department to determine its own operational needs related to remote work; and creating a framework within the Telework Directive where evidence-based decisions consider the unique needs of each employee.
While some changes could potentially expand access to remote work, others remove important considerations. These changes do not, however, replace the Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace.
Most notably, the directive removes previous commitments to work-life balance, inclusion, and environmental sustainability. These were key considerations in the 2020 version but are absent from the latest update. Here is a summary of some of the other changes:
- Case-by-case assessment: While managers still evaluate telework requests individually, the directive no longer explicitly states that requests must be “approved or denied” case-by-case.
- Relocation & workforce adjustments: A restriction that prevented remote work from being used to avoid or force relocations has been removed. This could provide more flexibility for employees facing workforce adjustments.
- Cost responsibilities: Departments are responsible for covering necessary equipment costs, while workers pay for their own utilities, internet, and insurance.
- Expanded coverage: Students, casual, and part-time workers are now explicitly included in the telework policy.
- Extended pilot for remote workers: The pilot program allowing employees 125 km or more away from their designated worksite to be placed on travel status has been extended to March 31, 2027.
What this means for you
While changes expanding eligibility and potential relocation flexibility are welcome, the removal of work-life balance considerations is a step backwards. These changes also do nothing to address the arbitrary three-day return to office mandate, the core issue for tens of thousands of PSAC members. We will continue to fight for a flexible remote work policy that benefits workers and isn’t focused on presenteeism.
Join PSAC’s Remote Works campaign to advocate for a future of work that puts people first and focuses on delivering the best services to families and business while saving taxpayers money.
The original version of this content was first published on the PSAC website:
- https://psacunion.ca/telework
- https://psacunion.ca/telework-virtual-assets
- https://psacunion.ca/frequently-asked-questions-telework
- https://psacunion.ca/join-psacs-legal-fight-against-arbitrary-telework
- https://psacunion.ca/sign-our-petition-help-defend-telework-and
- https://psacunion.ca/will-you-stay-involved-our-fight-telework
- https://psacunion.ca/changes-telework-directive-what-you-need-know
