However, two-in-five union members believe government should back down in face of “summer of discontent”
May 23, 2024 – For many, remote work is an indispensable element of post-pandemic office life, but balance between work in-office and at-home has become a source of dispute between employees and employers.
As the federal government mandates more in-office time for its workers, new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a majority of Canadians (59%) support federal workers spending more time in-office and less time remotely.
The union representing the bulk of federal workers has promised a “summer of discontent” in response to the new federal government remote work policy requiring at least three days of in-office work. The discontent could spill over into negotiations between the government and 9,000 Canada Border Services workers, who could strike this summer and delay border crossings.
Click below to see four Key Takeaways from the data.
Those in a public sector union are most opposed to the federal government’s requirements, but still show more support than opposition for the policy.
Perhaps driving support for “return to the office”, Canadians generally feel that federal government workers have a better gig than the average Canadian.
Asked what to do if the workers threaten disruptions to service in response to this remote work policy, those in unions are more likely to say the government should back down and reverse the policy than those who are not in a union.
Working-age Ottawa residents (ages 18 to 64) are more likely than other Canadians to agree that it’s not up to federal workers to bring economic activity to the downtown core by increasing the number of days they work in office.
The Full Story
INDEX
Part One: The federal return-to-office push
More support than opposition to new remote work policy
Majority say federal workers have it better than others
Part Two: How to respond to the “summer of discontent”?
Union members more likely to say government should back down
Part Three: The Ottawa element
More opposition in the capital to remote work policy
Most say federal workers aren’t responsible for boosting downtown business
Part One: The federal return-to-office push
Last year, the federal government ended a near two-week strike by more than 120,000 workers represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) by reaching a new agreement that would take them until 2025. The striking workers had demanded pay increases as well as including policies on remote work in the collective bargaining agreement. The union secured the former, but not the latter. Instead, outside of the collective bargaining agreement, the government signed a letter of intent saying that remote work would be decided by a case-by-base basis instead of top-down policy.
Despite this, the top-down policy requiring workers to be in the office at least two days a week continued until the federal government announced that it expected that, come fall, federal workers should be in the office at least three days a week. In response, PSAC promised a “summer of discontent” as it resists the change.
More support than opposition to new remote work policy
Canadians are more likely to support (59%) than oppose (28%) federal government workers spending more time in-office by a two-to-one ratio. Workers – those who are currently employed full-time or part-time – also support the new remote work policy at a majority level. Union members favour the policy at a majority level (52%), but voice higher opposition than those who are not represented by collective agreements. Support drops slightly when only public sector union members are analyzed, but still half (47%) say they support it:
Canadians across most age and gender demographics are more likely to support the federal government’s new remote work policy than oppose it except for women aged 18 to 34. Younger women are the only group who are more likely to oppose – half do (47%) – than support the revised policy (33%):
Majority say federal workers have it better than others
When PSAC was on strike last spring, there was more support than opposition for many of its demands. However, at the same time, Canadians were more likely to view federal government employees as overpaid (28%) than under compensated (17%). Approaching three-quarters (72%) of Canadians also said at the time federal government enjoyed much better working conditions than those who work in similar jobs in the private sector.
RELATED:
That belief continues to be held by a majority of Canadians as PSAC threatens more labour unrest over the new remote work policy. Three-quarters (75%) say federal government workers have better working conditions than others, including at least seven-in-ten of likely CPC (86%), Liberal (73%), NDP (70%) and Bloc Québécois voters (70%):
Part Two: How to respond to the “summer of discontent”?
PSAC’s “summer of discontent” in response to the new federal government remote work policy, includes legal challenges and grievances, as well as labelling it as a “critical issue” in negotiations between the government and 9,000 workers with Canada Border Services who could potentially strike this summer.
Union members more likely to say government should back down
Respondents were asked how the federal government should respond in the event of service disruptions at the border. Half of Canadians say the federal government should push ahead with the changes even it means there is labour action at the border. One-third prefer the federal government to back down.
More than two-in-five (45%) Canadians who work in a public sector union say the government should reverse the new policy in the event of union discontent, while more than one-third (36%) of that group believe the government should continue to hold firm on its new remote work policy:
Half (52%) of likely NDP voters say the federal government should back down from the updated remote work policy if there is union discontent, the only group of likely voters who say this at a majority level. Current CPC supporters are the most likely to want the federal government to hold firm on the policy, with two-thirds (66%) saying the federal government should ignore discontent and push it through:
Part Three: The Ottawa element
In March, prior to the federal government announcing the revised remote work policy, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called on federal workers to return to their offices in downtown Ottawa to help boost business which had suffered from quiet office buildings. The federal government employs more people than anybody else in the capital region, which includes Ottawa, Gatineau and other nearby communities.
To analyze the opinions of Ottawans on this issue, the Angus Reid Institute included an additional sample of 156 working age people who live in Ottawa. Of that group, half say they work in the public sector and more than two-in-five (43%) say they belong to a union (see detailed tables).
More opposition in the capital to remote work policy
Opposition is higher in Ottawa to the federal government’s new remote work policy than elsewhere in the country. A majority (57%) of workers in Ottawa say they oppose it, while one-third are in favour (33%):
Most say federal workers aren’t responsible for boosting downtown business
The idea that federal government workers should be called back to the office more to help suffering businesses in downtown Ottawa was met with resistance from some public servants. One said workers were “being used as a walking wallet to start propping up downtown Ottawa”.
Those closest to the core of Ottawa are more likely to say that federal government workers should not be forced back to work in order to stimulate economic activity downtown. Indeed, fully half (53%) of working age adults living in Ottawa say they strongly agree that this is not up to federal government workers, while another three-in-ten agree (28%):
Methodology
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from May 16-21, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 1,751 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
ARI also surveyed an additional sample of 156 adults aged 18- to 64-years-old in Ottawa from May 16-21, 2024.
Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For detailed results by employment status and other crosstabulations, click here.
For questionnaire, click here.
For full report including methodology, click here
Image Credit – Photo 27770109 | Ottawa Downtown © George Kroll | Dreamstime.com
