We are committed to the fight

With less than two weeks until Ontario Public Service (OPS) employees are set to return to the office four days a week, reports of inadequate and under-resourced office spaces, as well as a host of unanswered alternative work arrangement (AWA) requests, continue to create confusion.

For our members at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Invest Ontario, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Health, Public Health Ontario, and Supply Ontario, it’s even more confusing—those employers are still scrambling to figure out what the government’s edict means for them and their staff.

We continue to stay in touch with our employer counterparts at each of those workplaces to remind them of their obligations under our collective agreements, and advocate for flexibility, including remote and hybrid work for those who want it. I encourage members in those bargaining units to keep their subscription preferences up to date. We will share more information as we receive it.

If you’re in the Ontario Public Service

Earlier this week, OPS bargaining agents met with the Secretary of Cabinet to discuss her Return to Office directive and its impact on AMAPCEO members, and to frankly share the frustrations our members are experiencing. 

AMAPCEO representatives also met with our employer counterparts this week at the AMAPCEO-Central Employee Relations Committee (ACERC), where we raised our concerns regarding the Return to Office directive and the backlog of more than 5,000 unaddressed AWA remote work requests that have been accumulating since August. 

In the meantime, I encourage anyone who has not yet submitted an AWA request but wants one to do so as soon as possible, and anyone who has submitted a request to review the recommendations included in our AWA fact sheet.

• Request an AWA
• Review the AWA fact sheet 

Over the past few weeks, we have received several questions about medical or family status accommodations. Anyone in need of a genuine medical accommodation should pursue that process. Members in need of flexibility to meet familiar or caregiving responsibilities can explore a family status accommodation. Not every circumstance related to family status results in an accommodation, but the employer may afford more flexibility for those with short-term or time-limited needs. You can also reach out to a Workplace Representative with any questions you may have about these processes.

• Review the workplace accommodation fact sheet
• Review the family status accommodation fact sheet
• Contact a Workplace Representative 

Regardless of the status of your AWA request, I recommend asking your manager in writing if you, specifically, will be expected to come back four days a week starting October 20. Many workplaces may/will not have the space to accommodate an increase in staff numbers. 

This has been a confusing and frustrating process, but I know that AMAPCEO members are united behind this issue. And your union will continue to fight for the flexibility we deserve. In less than two months, we have:

• drafted a petition to the Secretary of Cabinet that resulted in 13,000 signatures;
• written the Secretary to express the concerns of all six OPS bargaining agents, and then met with the Secretary and her team to discuss our concerns;
• generated 5,000 new AWA requests;
• held a rally that drew nearly 1,000 members and attracted significant media coverage;
• filed several disputes alleging contravention of our collective agreement;
• assembled a Return to Office Response Team of dedicated activists ready to support OPS members and Workplace Representatives alike; and
• held a number of information sessions dedicated to helping you understand your AWA rights under the Collective Agreement. 

And we’re just getting started.

Looking forward, we will:

• continue to hold information sessions to ensure every member who wants flexible work arrangements knows how to request them;
• keep up our united front with the leadership of our fellow OPS unions–ALOC, OCAA, OPSEU and PEGO;
• maintain our advocacy efforts at our Central Employee Relations Committee table and at Multi-Bargaining Agent meetings;
• continue to train and support our volunteers and activists so they, in turn, can help members pursue the flexibility they want.

This process is not without its hurdles and will require persistence from all of us. But AMAPCEO remains committed to fighting for flexibility for members who want it and for a modern, innovative workplace.

Stronger together,