National President David Neufeld, RVP Heather McKinnon, and USJE Director of Labour Relations Rebecca Thompson paid a visit to the Chief Firearms Office for Manitoba and Nunavut on January 30th, where they met with Karen Mowatt, the Director of Firearms Regulatory Services. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the working conditions of USJE members and to tour the site. Also present for this meeting were Cody Sharpe, Operations Manager of the Regulatory Support Unit and Melanie Arndt, Senior Analyst with the Firearms Regulatory Services Directorate.
The meeting proved to be very positive with discussions focusing on the mental health and wellness of USJE members and the newly implemented common hybrid work model.
USJE representatives clearly stated the union’s position that the hybrid work environment must remain flexible. The COVID-19 pandemic brought irrevocable changes to the workplace and to work culture that members quickly adapted to while maintaining high productivity levels thanks to telework. Any post-pandemic interpretation of telework must necessarily benefit from a nuanced approach.
USJE emphasized the importance of collaboration between the Union and management and the need to find ways to work together and make the workplace a healthy environment for everyone. Ms. Mowatt shared that she supports utilizing a collaborative approach and is open to working with both local and regional union representation on workplace issues. It was clear that the site provides an open and receptive space where the wellness and comfort of the employees is the object of focus.
USJE appreciates and values such an open line of communication with management and looks forward to more conversations to come.