IT Group Bargaining with the Treasury Board Secretariat - Opening remarks

Hello to all of our counterparts at the bargaining table representing our employer. Please understand that these words are directed at our employer, not any of you personally.

It’s a difficult time to be a public service professional these days. What with the recent four days a week return to office mandate being imposed on federal workers.  This mandate, ordered with no union consultation and in the middle of negotiations with several bargaining units, when the terms and conditions of employment are meant to be frozen, comes as a slap in the face to loyal public servants. Our members are looking to us to oppose this in the strongest possible terms.

A clear lack of office space to support this ill-advised mandate has already been shown during the three days a week mandate. How will a 4-day mandate work when the current 3-day mandate continues to see workers struggling to find a desk?

That’s if they can get to work. In Ottawa, ongoing transit woes are creating a nightmarish commute for all workers.

All of this is being dumped on public service employees in the midst of a wave of layoffs and budget cuts bringing stress and anxiety to a workforce struggling against the rising cost of living and a disrespectful employer. They are struggling against the overuse of contractors and artificial intelligence threatening to take their jobs and a government that serves corporate interests rather than the public that they represent.

Yes, it’s a tough time to be a public servant. It’s tough, but we persevere, we keep working because we are proud public servants with a sense of duty and service to Canadians. We’re professionals and we believe that the work we do improves the lives of our fellow citizens. This loyalty and these values are being pushed to the brink with the actions of our employer and our members are frustrated. They are frustrated, they’re hurt and they’re angry and they are looking to the union for help. They’re asking us to help them to have reasonable access to telework, to have protections against contracting out and artificial intelligence. They want security, no one wants to live in fear that their job may be taken away. They want protection against harassment in the workplace – all types of harassment and they want these protections, including WFA, enshrined in the collective agreement so they can’t be taken away arbitrarily. Our members want an employer that supports their career development and provides the training required to excel and advance. They want an employer that takes their health and safety in the workplace seriously and they want an employer that values their contributions and demonstrates their appreciation with salaries that are commensurate with other professionals in the public and private sectors. Our members are asking this bargaining team to fight for these things and that’s what we are here to do.

We know that if we work together in good faith, we can negotiate a fair and progressive collective agreement. We have made strides in the past that show that this is possible – the joint effort between the IT Group and the employer in making the IT Training Fund implementation the success that it is, is a fine example of what we can accomplish if we work together with trust and respect. That is our pledge to you, to negotiate on behalf of our members to achieve the best possible agreement by negotiating with you in good faith, with respect and fairness. Thank you for your anticipated hard work and commitment to reach an agreement with the IT Group.

Best regards,

Robert Scott, IT Group President and Bargaining Officer