PSAC-NCR is calling on the federal government to open GCcoworking locations in Aylmer and Buckingham/Masson sectors of Gatineau as the employer continues to expand GCcoworking sites across the federal public service.
In the National Capital Region there are currently six GCcoworking locations including Kanata and Orleans, but federal public service workers on the Quebec side in Aylmer and Buckingham/Masson don’t have similar suburban worksites they can report to.
By creating new GCcoworking locations in Aylmer and Buckingham/Masson, the employer can reduce the number of cars commuting downtown to Ottawa, reduce time-consuming commutes and endless bridge frustrations as well as parking and daycare costs for workers, and distribute financial gains for local businesses in those communities.
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Since Treasury Board’s return-to-office directive came into effect, federal public service workers across the NCR have been navigating new ways of working.
Whether it’s using new systems to book workspaces, or making sure a workstation has the cables necessary to connect, there are all kinds of unknowns—but one thing is clear: the traditional workspaces we had pre-pandemic are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
But the return to office experience can be vastly different from member to member depending on which department they work for, or where they live in the National Capital Region.
GCcoworking sites provide some departments with access to alternative work locations that count towards an employee’s 2-3 days in-office.
In the NCR there are six GCcoworking locations and, as of September 2023, more than 10,000 federal public service workers from 50 federal departments and agencies have registered for the project nationally.
Innovative approaches like ‘activity-based’ worksites and GCcoworking sites are great options for employees across the federal public service – especially for those who felt that working from home allowed for greater work-life balance, savings on gas/parking, or eliminated the need for certain childcare arrangements.
Unfortunately, not all employees have access to these alternative worksites and the benefits they provide to all workers.
Regionally we know the allocation of worksites in Gatineau fails to provide employees living Aylmer and Buckingham/Masson with comparable access to their colleagues in Kanata and Orleans. While roll-out of GCcoworking across the federal public service is underway, we are concerned about the inequitable availability of worksites in the NCR.
The government has been clear that “the experience of working in the public service should be the same across government and across the country”.
As an organization that strives to enhance its members’ quality of life and that prioritizes equity, PSAC-NCR believes it is important that PSPC open GCcoworking locations in Aylmer and Buckingham/Masson sectors of Gatineau.
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