Union files dispute over Ontario government policy requiring workers back in office full-time | CBC News
Briefly

AMAPCEO represents more than 16,000 professional, administrative and supervisory employees in the Ontario Public Service. Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney ordered employees to increase attendance to four days per week starting Oct. 20 and to return to full-time hours effective Jan. 5, 2026. AMAPCEO filed a policy dispute alleging a breach of the collective agreement, saying the employer failed to provide the minimum two weeks' notice and gave roughly an hour's notice instead. The union said the move was heavy handed, lacked consultation and noted insufficient office space. The prior policy required three in-office days since April 2022.
A union that represents Ontario public servants is taking action against the Doug Ford government after it ordered provincial employees to return to the office four days a week this fall and five days a week next year. AMAPCEO Ontario's Professional Employees, which represents more than 16,000 professional, administrative and supervisory employees in the Ontario Public Service, said the province failed to give the union enough notice of its decision. The union filed what is called a policy dispute on Tuesday, alleging the province violated its collective agreement.
Dave Bulmer, president and CEO of AMAPCEO, said Thursday the decision was "really heavy handed" and the province could have consulted the unions that represent public servants first. There is also not enough office space to accommodate employees, he added. "Anytime the employer wants to do something that's going to substantively impact the workplace, they have to give us a minimum of two weeks' notice and that allows us to consult with them and to potentially impact what that change might be," Bulmer said. "In this instance, we got about an hour's notice. And so that's a contravention of our collective agreement and we intend to defend our contract."
The decision is a change from a policy in place since April 2022, when provincial government employees were required to be in their offices at least three days per week. That means they have been working two days a week from home.
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