Canada’s three biggest Federal public sector unions have gone to court to challenge the Government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Public Servants.
The unions argue that suspending unvaccinated workers without pay instead of letting them work from home is punitive and unjustified.
President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), Jennifer Carr said the unions continued to support vaccination.
“However, given the loosening of the COVID restrictions and the shifting landscape, we’re of the opinion that the employer’s policy right now is unreasonable,” Ms Carr (pictured) said.
“These members can work from home,” she said.
“Effectively, we think it is punitive and an abuse of management authority.”
Both the PIPSC and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, representing nearly 60,000 and 21,000 Public Servants respectively, have filed policy grievances against the vaccine mandate.
This follows the first challenge, filed in late March by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PASC), the biggest Federal Government union.
The Federal COVID-19 vaccine policy was put in place on 6 October, 2021, which forced all bureaucrats to either receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or be suspended without pay.
The unions said working from home was readily available for so many Public Servants and it was therefore time to allow the unvaccinated employees who could effectively work outside the office to do so.
According to latest figures 1,828 employees are on unpaid leave due to the vaccination policy.
Meanwhile, the PSAC has walked away from contract negotiations over the Government’s refusal to offer raises that keep up with the soaring cost of living.
The union is now seeking conciliation to help reach a settlement.
It is seeking a 13.5 per cent raise over three years — at 4.5 per cent a year — compared with the Treasury Board’s offer of less than eight per cent over four years.
The two sides have also hit snags over the future of work and anti-racism provisions that the PSAC wants embedded in all contracts.
Ottawa, 21 May 2022
