The federal government is expanding its return-to-office mandate for public employees.
As of May 4, executives in the federal public service will be required to work onsite five days per week, while all workers will return four days per week as of July 6. The mandate applies to workers in the core public administration, including those working for the Canada Border Services Agency, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Statistics Canada.
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In a statement to deputy heads posted on its website Thursday, the government said onsite work is “an essential foundation of the strong teams, collaboration and culture needed during this pivotal moment and beyond.”
In a press release, the Public Service Alliance of Canada said it’s prepared to take legal action against the in-office requirements, noting the change is taking place amid ongoing bargaining with the government.
The move comes as the federal government seeks to reduce the size of the public service by cutting nearly 40,000 jobs.
Earlier this month, public servants in Alberta returned to full-time onsite work, following their counterparts in Ontario, who returned to working five days in office last month.
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