On February 5, 2026, amid the greatest workforce reduction exercise of the last decade and in the middle of collective bargaining, the federal government announced its intention to require all federal public service workers to be in office four days a week beginning July 6, 2026.
Over the last several weeks, USJE has been at the table with various departmental executives to discuss the Workforce Adjustment (WFA) processes that are currently underway. Like a well-versed script, each time we are told that employees’ wellbeing is at the forefront of every WFA decision that is made. Just hours before departments started to announce the coming changes to the Direction on prescribed presence in the workplace, USJE was at the table with departmental executives with no indication of what was to come.
To add insult to injury, departments did not bother to include USJE on their announcements to employees. Instead, when members started rushing to their union representatives for answers, we had to ask our members to share the news with us.
When an announcement such as this one is made amid significant human resource cuts, one can only assume that this is yet another tactic to force loyal Canadian workers to leave their jobs. Like the concessions brought on with the Early Retirement Incentive proposal [see here], USJE sees this latest tactic as a means to pressure those whose realities do not allow for such frequent commutes to leave their federal government jobs without compensation or recognition for their dedication and hard work.
As this government continues to find ways to rub salt in our members’ open wounds, the spirit, intent and plain language of our collective agreements are repeatedly being violated. The Collective Agreement requires Deputy Heads to determine that services are not needed before proceeding with a WFA action. No credible Deputy Head in Canada’s public safety realm can honestly say that the cuts being made are because of services not needed; instead, these cuts are because of a disillusioned government that fails to consider the long-term implications of such a short-sighted cost-savings initiative.
While PSAC explores all avenues possible to fight this latest violation of our members’ conditions of work, USJE implores all to recognize that your employer is not one worthy of free labour. Members should work their required hours only and not, as many of you do, work until the job is done. If your duties and responsibilities are such that they cannot be completed within your allotted work hours, it is the responsibility of the employer to prioritize your tasks. We urge you to review our previous communique on this issue and seek union support should your employer demand that, in these times, you do more with less.