CEIU members and the union’s National Executive held a rally yesterday outside Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offices in Sydney, Nova Scotia to mark our clear opposition to the four-day return-to-office (RTO) mandate.

“This will cost taxpayers significantly more in government real estate when remote work has clear cost-savings potential, and we know that productivity remains stable or increases with remote work,” said Rubina Boucher, National President, CEIU.

We have seen an aggressive rollback of remote and hybrid work, with the federal four-day return-to-office mandate only the latest blow. We sent a clear message to the employer at our rally yesterday that Remote Works!

The union is at a critical juncture in bargaining following an insulting wage offer as our bargaining team and Treasury Board have agreed to meet with a third-party, outside mediator on September 21–22 and 29–30 to continue negotiations on behalf of 120,000 PA Group members. 

Our bargaining team is committed to fighting for a fair contract and will continue pushing for improvements on the issues that matter most to members, including remote work. It’s vital that we build our power and keep issues like remote work in the spotlight as negotiations continue.

Rally speakers included Chris Di Liberatore, PSAC, Regional Executive Vice-President, Atlantic; Rubina Boucher, CEIU, National President; and Helen King, CEIU, National Executive Vice-President.

What you can do 

• Get involved in our Remote Works campaign 
• Email the President of Treasury Board and demand a fair approach to remote work 
• Sign a Parliamentary petition supporting flexible remote work options 
• Show your support by using our Remote Works background on Zoom or Teams
• Check out PSAC’s remote work campaign materials and resources
• Connect with your bargaining team by inviting a team member to your next local union event 
• Put your bargaining kit to work with tools and resources designed to help locals inform and mobilize members 
• Stay informed by reading the latest remote-work news, updates and frequently asked questions.