A union representing more than 16,500 professional employees who work for the Ontario government has filed a dispute over the return to office policy announced by the Ford government last month.
AMAPCEO, The Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario, said in a news release that it filed its dispute on Sept. 2.
The union is claiming in its dispute that the government violated the collective agreement by not providing the required advance notice of its plan to “effectively end remote and hybrid work.”
The province announced Aug. 14 that more than 60,000 workers with the Ontario Public Service will be expected to return to the office full time starting on Jan. 5, 2026.
Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney said at the time the move “represents the current workforce landscape in the province and it reinforces our commitment to reflecting the people and businesses we serve across Ontario.”
But AMAPCEO President Dave Bulmer said in a statement that the union was “blindsided” by the memo issued by Cabinet Secretary Michelle DiEmanuele announcing the change.
“The required two-week notice period would have given us the opportunity to meet with the employer, share our concerns, and advocate against the secretary’s plan to roll the public service back to the Stone Age,” Bulmer said.
AMAPCEO has requested that the Aug. 14 memo be rescinded so that “proper advance notice” can be given. The union is also requesting more information about how the government made the decision.
Most OPS workers are currently required to be in-office at least three days a week. The government said in its announcement that would ramp up to four days as of Oct. 20 ahead of the five-day expectation in the new year.
Many major employers have been implementing more stringent return to office policies in recent months, but there are signs that many workers are not on-board.
A recent Angus-Reid survey found that 76 per cent of those with previous remote work experience would prefer to work either fully or partially from home. It also found that 57 per cent of Canadians believe remote workers are as productive or more productive than those in the office, rising to 73 per cent among those with remote work experience.
In a petition signed by more than 12,000 members – more than half its membership – AMAPCEO criticized the new policy as being detached from the learnings of remote work during the pandemic, namely that many people are still able to work effectively while ditching lengthy commutes and striking more of a work-life balance.
The union is also questioning how the government made its decision.
In a statement to CP24, Mulroney’s office confirmed the government is in the process of checking that it has enough space to accommodate all its workers in-office at once.
“We are currently reviewing all government office space to identify if there are any space limitations to support the Ontario Public Service’s return to 5 days in the office, effective January 5th, 2026,” the statement read.
With files from Chris Fox