Members of the Professional Unions Network of Canada issued the following statement at the end of their spring meeting on April 30 in Toronto, Ontario.
Unions representing professional workers across Canada are calling on governments to abandon their regressive, unilateral return‑to‑office mandates and instead preserve the flexible work arrangements that have proven effective for years.
Canadians expect their governments to be leaders on the future of work and since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the country, and the unions representing public service workers, have come together in the spirit of collaboration to meet the moment and create that future.
By choosing to ignore all evidence – including the benefits of flexible workplaces for women and other equity-deserving communities – and by choosing to act arbitrarily by imposing regressive rules mandating a return to overcrowded offices, governments are undermining those productive and collaborative relationships. Federal and provincial governments are betraying the trust of the hard-working professionals who have continued to answer the call to serve Canadians during unprecedented global upheaval, while compounding the climate crisis and gridlock affecting Canadians across the country.
Together, we call on governments across the country to stop acting arbitrarily and to work in partnership with our unions to help create flexible workplace models that reflect the spirit of innovation, modern productivity and climate consciousness they claim to value so our professional members can continue to deliver the high-quality public services Canadians deserve.
The Professional Unions Network of Canada (PUNC) is an organization of unions and associations representing professionals and knowledge workers, predominantly in the public sector. Its members are:
- ACFO-ACAF
- AMAPCEO – Ontario’s Professional Employees
- PEA – BC’s Union of Professionals
- Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)
- Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ)
For more information, please contact: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca.
