In its budget submission, AMAPCEO is calling on the government to maintain remote work policies, collaborate on the design of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) workplace of the future, repeal the unconstitutional wage-restraining Bill 124, and immediately mandate paid sick days for all working Ontarians.
The OPS Workplace of the Future
Since March, all OPS employees able to do so have been working remotely. The swiftness with which the government acted to switch to remote work was commendable.
Before the pandemic, the OPS would see tens of thousands of its employees go to work in downtown Toronto. It is no exaggeration to suggest that lives were saved by such a large employer immediately implementing remote work for its staff. This was a team effort and a demonstration of how working together can result in successful outcomes.
Both the government and our members can be proud of the transition.
AMAPCEO applauds the government for their continuing leadership on this.
We appreciate the pause of the back-to-work plan for now and recommend maintaining remote work policies until it is safe to transition back.
The success of remote work provides us with an opportunity to consider what the workplace of tomorrow can and should look like. To what extent can work continue to be done remotely? What is to become of open-plan workspaces? Is there an opportunity for the government to save money by reducing the amount of leased office space?
RECOMMENDATION 1:
Address these important questions through a collaborative process between AMAPCEO, the government, and the OPS Employer.
The Value of a Strong OPS: Vital to Public Health and Economic Recovery Efforts
The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of a strong and well-staffed public service. Throughout the crisis, AMAPCEO members have worked tirelessly to meet the rapidly changing needs of the ministries they serve. The professionalism of AMAPCEO members has shone through as public servants have led the efforts.
As the province works towards economic recovery, Ontarians need to continue to trust the quality of the public services they rely on.
We are concerned the unconstitutional Bill 124 is still on the books.
Imposing what are effectively wage cuts is not the way to keep the OPS strong.
When it sits down with employers, AMAPCEO has demonstrated, time and again, its ability to achieve collective agreements that serve the interests of each party.
Free and fair collective bargaining works.
As we come out of the pandemic, there will be voices calling for public servants to pay for the deficits of the next few years with reduced compensation and benefits.
This is the wrong approach.
Austerity does not solve problems. As has been shown around the world, it only magnifies and delays them.
Strong, nimble public services, staffed by professionals, will be central to recovery efforts.
Now is not the time to diminish the public service by either further reducing its ranks or by making it a less-desirable place to work by offering poor terms and conditions of employment.
RECOMMENDATION 2:
Government should immediately repeal the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019.
Act Now: Bring in Paid Sick Days
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, our province is in crisis.
A healthcare crisis. A long-term care crisis. An economic crisis.
Ontario must act decisively to save lives.
Urgent actions, grounded in the latest public health expertise, will also serve to heal the economy faster.
The most important job for the government right now is to get the spread of COVID-19 under control.
It is clear that the government understands this, instituting numerous control measures—for instance, suspending most in-store shopping, shifting to remote learning, and promoting remote work wherever possible.
However, as much as the government has done, gaps remain. The most significant is access to paid sick days.
There is overwhelming evidence that much of Ontario’s pandemic spread is happening around work—on shift, on break, while commuting—and the virus is spreading between customers, clients, and co-workers.
Yet, 58% of workers in Canada still do not have access to paid sick days. That number climbs to more than 70% among those earning less than $25,000 a year. These are the people more likely to be the essential workers we’re all relying on: those caring for our loved ones, ensuring shelves are stocked at our grocery stores, and delivering products to our doors.
To stop the spread of COVID-19, these workers—and all workers— need to be able to take paid sick days.
The temporary federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) is certainly better than nothing, but the program is deeply flawed.
Advocates have rightly criticized the program for being insufficient and cumbersome. It fails to cover some of the most precarious workers.
Unfortunately, the pandemic is ever-changing and far from over. Paid sick days are essential to keeping workers safe and fighting COVID-19, as the province looks to get back on the road to economic recovery.
AMAPCEO urges the Ontario government to do all it can to make this happen.
Not doing so would be a moral failure.
RECOMMENDATION 3:
The Government should immediately amend the Employment Standards Act to mandate paid sick days for all workers.
