'Lives have changed': Federal workers in Greater Victoria resist mandate to return to office
Federal government employees in Greater Victoria and across the country will be mandated to return to the office for at least two to three days a week starting Jan. 16. By March 31, the hybrid work model will be fully implemented.
“This is very good news for our restaurants and our retailers,” said Jeff Bray, CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association.
When the pandemic hit, many office workers began working from home. With 4,000 federal employees working in the capital region, that had a devastating impact on businesses.
“Some of them just didn’t survive because there were no customers,” said Bray. “For others, they’ve had to reduce their hours.”
“You now see a lot of restaurants not open for lunch.”
A recent survey of nearly 14,000 public service workers revealed a majority of them would rather work from home.
“There’s a lot of people whose lives have changed significantly since the pandemic,” said Jamey Mills, regional executive vice-president with the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
Mills says members have given up childcare, eldercare, and often sold vehicles that were no longer needed when they stopped commuting into the office.
Workers were told on Dec. 15 of the upcoming changes.
“There’s a lot of mitigating circumstances that are going to make this abrupt transition really difficult,” said Mills.
The union is currently in collective bargaining and has now filed a statutory freeze complaint against the employer with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.
“We’re in collective bargaining. You can’t change those conditions unless it’s mutually agreed upon,” said Mills.
Those negotiations, which began in the summer of 2021, are at an impasse. The union isn’t ruling out a strike vote if an agreement can’t be met.
“I think from the federal government’s point of view, the idea is that they want employees back to work to build that sense of team,” said Mark Colgate, a professor at the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria.
Colgate says the hybrid work mandate is about rebuilding connections in the workplace.
“By mandating two to three days a week, they think they can start rebuilding those teams again,” said Colgate.
Downtown business owners want to see workers once again filling federal buildings in Victoria's core.
“Those workers are critical to our sub-economy here in the downtown,” said Bray.
The union says the majority of its members want the opposite and would like to see some sort of formal policy to allow employees to continue to work from home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Powerful quake rocks Turkiye and Syria, kills more than 2,300
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkiye and Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 2,300 people.

Attracting, retaining pilots an ongoing issue in Canada: industry analysts
Retirements, high training costs and poor pay are fuelling a pilot shortage in Canada, industry analysts say, at a time when travel has surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadian dollar's outlook for 2023 uncertain as interest rate hikes wane: experts
Experts say the outlook for the loonie in 2023 largely depends on commodity prices, how the U.S. dollar fares, and whether central banks are successful in avoiding a major recession.
Strongest earthquake to hit Buffalo in decades causes rumbles in southern Ontario
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake that struck near Buffalo, N.Y. Monday morning was felt in southern Ontario, officials say.
China accuses U.S. of indiscriminate use of force over balloon
China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it 'seriously impacted and damaged both sides' efforts and progress in stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations.'
BoC's first summary of deliberations coming this week. Here's what to expect
The Bank of Canada is set to publish its first summary of deliberations Wednesday, giving Canadians a peak into the governing council's reasoning behind its decision to raise interest rates last month.
Beyonce becomes most decorated artist in Grammys history; Harry Styles wins album of the year
Beyonce sits alone atop the Grammy throne as the ceremony's most decorated artist in history, but at the end of Sunday's show it was Harry Styles who walked away with the album of the year honour.
Charles Kimbrough, best known for role in 'Murphy Brown,' dies at 86
Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on 'Murphy Brown,' died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.
Advocates come together to help sailors stuck for months on tugboats in Quebec port
Groups that advocate for seafarers are expressing concern for 11 sailors who are spending a harsh Quebec winter aboard three tugboats that have been detained for months in the port of Trois-Rivières.