President of the Treasury Board, Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, announced on March 13 that federal employees will be allowed to telework as long as their job allows it. We are asking all PIPSC members to consult their respective managers to see how this new order applies to them.
For others whose presence at the workplace is vital to their job, we understand new directives will be sent out. Those still attending the work-site have been asked to self-monitor closely for any symptoms of the virus.
PIPSC and 14 other unions representing federal public servants called on the Treasury Board to take this action today. We are encouraged by today’s announcement.
In a joint letter, the unions asked the Treasury Board to do its part to help “flatten the curve.” As per the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) guidelines, social distancing and proactive self-isolation are key components to mitigate the risks associated with a widespread viral outbreak.
We’ve asked for leadership from the Federal Government to make it clear to all departments and agencies that employees are encouraged to proactively self-isolate.
Furthermore, it must be clear that:
- Employees who self-isolate as per the PHAC guidelines and who are not able to telework are to be granted discretionary leave with pay in respect of circumstances not directly attributable to the employee. Such employees should not be forced to use personal leave, sick leave or go without pay if they are otherwise able to work.
- To facilitate telework, departments and agencies must provide for teleconference and other virtual meeting options.
PIPSC will be meeting with the President of the Treasury Board in the coming days.
We have been getting daily updates from across the government. And we are concerned that potential and positive cases of COVID-19 have not been adequately communicated to public servants. We are asking that management be provided with the tools needed to quickly enact plans for these situations.
With the increase in teleworking, we are raising our concerns regarding access to VPN and the adequacy of the IT infrastructure to support this change to work.
For PIPSC members outside of the federal public service
PIPSC President Debi Daviau has sent a letter to all employers with PIPSC members on March 13 to clarify leave options and has strongly encouraged them to arrange remote work wherever possible.
We expect to learn more over the coming days and will inform our members as soon as possible.
PIPSC members can find our latest updates on COVID-19: https://pipsc.ca/covid19
Government of Canada updates on COVID-19: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html