‘Back to the Stone Age’: Union representing Ontario professional workers files dispute over full-time return to office policy

The Ontario legislature is pictured at Queen's Park in downtown Toronto in this file photo. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)

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 fulltime 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AMAPCEO has requested that the Aug. 14 memo be rescinded so that “proper advance notice” can be given.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.

In a statement Friday, a spokesperson for Mulroney said the minister’s office is “disappointed” with the response from AMAPCEO, saying it “distracts” from the work underway to return to the office five days a week.

“During recent bargaining, and in its own ratification announcement, AMAPCEO acknowledged the employer’s discretion over in-office requirements,” Mulroney’s spokesperson, Liz Tuomi, said in the statement.

“The expectation of change was communicated to AMAPCEO’s leadership and shared with employees once decisions were made to provide maximum notice and support a smooth transition.”

Many workers not eager to return

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.

Ford says there will be enough space

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.

Speaking at a news conference Friday, Premier Doug Ford said the province will make sure there is enough room for all workers to come back to the office.

“I want to thank all the workers, because a lot of them have already been back, and they’ve been working hard, and I’m very grateful for their hard work,” Ford said. “But now they’re going to come back and get into the swing of things and start moving. We need, not just with them because they’re working either way, but we need productivity. We need to start moving forward.”

Asked about concerns that the full back-to-office mandate could exacerbate gridlock and transit crowding, Ford said it will stimulate the economy.

“How about the PATH, all the companies that went belly up, the restaurants and everything else that hurt tremendously when the banks, insurance companies and the government don’t have people back to work,” Ford said. “This adds to our economy. It stimulates the economy.”

He added that being in the office is important for mentoring new workers.

With files from Chris Fox